A Powerful Echo
by MeddlinMegs
Summary: My name is Echo, and for the past six—almost seven—years I've been an the Ninjago City Orphanage. It's not fun and I just wanted something to happen so I could leave! Well, next time I should be careful what I wish for. There's now a deranged snake after me and I have to stay with the ninja. There is a bright side though: I was finally able to find my family.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu for it belongs to LEGO. I do however own Echo and Alex. Tove is owned by Madi (madi51000), Lillie is owned by Bryanna (BubblyMahomie), and Vanessa is owned by Alyson (she doesn't have an account).**_

**I'm finally writing Echo's background story which I've decided to call ****_A Powerful Echo_****. Echo has actually been in a couple of my stories, ****_Ninjago 2014 _****and ****_Ninjago: Frozen_****. Now she gets her own story! This is all in Echo's POV (point of view) so if she doesn't know something, you won't know it. Well, unless you've read the two stories she's in...**

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><p>I woke up and quickly made my bed. I glanced over to Molly who'd done the same. I changed into my street clothes, maroon tee, denim shorts, and black shoes, and I walked over t my mirror. I brushed my hair and tied it into low pigtails. It was a normal day in the orphanage. I could go ahead and tell you what would happen today before it happened. First, everyone at breakfast will chat away, completely forgetting I was there. Then, someone will visit the orphanage and <em>not<em> adopt me. Finally, I'll go to bed wondering why in Ninjago did my parents hate me so much. Yeah, that's a normal day for me.

"Echo, come on, we're gonna be late for breakfast," Molly said, heading for the door.

I nodded and stood up. Okay so maybe I'm not completely ignored. Molly's my friend, my only friend. We share a room together and get along pretty well considering we have a seven year age difference. We had another roommate, Cindy, but she was adopted not too long ago. Cindy's ten, three years older than me, and her face lit up like a Christmas tree when she found out she was being adopted. Molly and I gave her a farewell party before she left. It was just us though because Ms. Ceader doesn't like parties... or kids. You'd think they wouldn't allow people who didn't like kids to run an orphanage.

Molly and I sat down at our seats. Like I predicted, everyone was chatting away. Molly put a couple pancakes on my plate and a strip of bacon. I began eating, listening to some of the gossip from the other girls. I was never one to spread gossip, but listening to it was a good way to pass the time. I also like knowing whether they're talking about me or not. It bugs me when they talk about me but not to me. I may be invisible most of the time, but if I mess up everyone sees me. Yet no one ever sees Ginger's mistakes. Ginger is sixteen, the oldest one here, and she acts like a total snob. We all know she'll never get adopted, and she doesn't want to because then she can't feel like the queen of the orphanage anymore. I always catch her when she thinks no one is looking, and if the others saw it too, no one would think she's all preppy anymore.

"Okay everyone, listen up," Ms. Ceader called, immediately getting everyone's attention. No one ever wanted to get on her bad side, not even Ginger would disobey her. "The orphanage is low on funds and unless all of you wanna end up on the streets you'll need to meet our candy sales' goal this year."

This is the worse part about the orphanage. We only get one chance a year to keep the orphanage going and that's selling candy. Basically, each room is forced to go out and sell at least $500 worth of candy. If said room doesn't reach the goal, they go without lunch for the next month, or two months, it varies on how much they're below the goal. Of course there's one bright side. Who ever sells the most boxes of candy gets the really fancy room. Ginger and her room have been winning it since Ginger was thirteen. The fancy room has silk bed sheets, three queen sized beds, and a separate bathroom. Though it's really hard to win if you don't have all three girls selling, so Molly and I have literally no chance of winning. I think we barely have a chance of making the $500 goal!

"Um, M. Ceader," Molly spoke up. Everyone turned to Molly. "Room G10 only has two girls this year and Echo isn't old enough to sell on her own."

"I don't see your point, Miss Lars. Miss Lenay will be eight in three months and is more than capable of selling on her own," Ms. Ceader said.

Okay, so confession time. Lenay is actually my middle name. I guess my parents didn't want to give away my real last name because they left it blank when they gave me to the orphanage. Molly once told me my last name, I don't know how in Ninjago she got it, but I didn't believe her anyway. The name she told me couldn't have been right. It just couldn't...

"But Ms. Ceader, you've never pushed anyone else to sell on their own before reaching eight. Echo should be no different," Molly argued.

"Molly, sit down, it's fine," I said hushly, pulling on her arm.

"It's not fine," Molly told me. "You can't be going off on your own."

"That's quite enough, Miss Lars," Ms. Ceader snapped, slamming her ruler onto the table. Don't ask why she carries a ruler, just don't. "Miss Lenay _will _sell at least half of the goal. Is that understood?"

Molly nodded and said, "Yes ma'am." She sat back down.

"Miss Lenay?" Ms. Ceader asked.

"I understand," I replied, then quickly added, "Ma'am."

"Good," Ms. Ceader smiled. "See? Everything works out. Now finish up breakfast. I want all of you selling by noon."

Ms. Ceader walked out of the room. No one continued their conversations or gossiping. We ate the rest of breakfast in silence.

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><p><strong>So there's the start. Echo's life since she was dropped off at the orphanage. So basically like all orphanages in stories, it really sucks. There will be more on this kind of stuff in the next chapter. Review, and uh, please no flames. I really do hate them so. More than Echo hates people gossiping about her. Well actually, who doesn't hate when people gossip about their life. (Actually that was rhetorical. Though I don't really hate it so much. I mean, if their lives are so boring they have to talk andor make up stuff about me then that's their problem not mine. Remember that next time someone starts a rumor about you. Don't care and just wonder to yourself "Who's life is so boring they have to talk about me")**


	2. Chapter 1

**I'm sorry I'm a day late! Gah I feel awful! I don't know why I forgot because I'm working on chapter 7.**

**Guest: Well aren't you sweet? Echo and Molly being adopted by the Ninja is a great idea! Though I kinda have it figured out and... You just might wanna keep reading.**

**So, onward! It only gets better from here. If you're good at figuring things out by clues hidden within the story... Just read... :) MWHAHAHA!**

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><p>Molly and I were out selling candy for awhile. It was about three when I got tired of walking around. We'd only sold $50 with in the three hours of selling. "At this rate we'll have the goal in ten days, but count school into that..." I mumbled.<p>

"Echo, don't worry," Molly assured me. "We'll be done in no time."

I nodded and we walked up to an old apartment building. "How about I go start my half?" I suggested, not wanting to go into the creepy building.

"Well, I guess that would be okay," Molly murmured. "Just don't go too far."

"I won't," I told her. Molly headed inside and I walked down the street a little ways. As I passed an alleyway, something caught my eye. I turned to see nothing but a dumpster. I'm not sure what I thought I saw, but I do know it was purple. I continued down the street, with an odd feeling I was being followed. I stopped at a house, glancing back to see nothing, I knocked on the door. A man answered it. "Um, would you like to buy some candy to raise money for the orphanage?" I asked.

"Sure," the man replied. I handed him the order form for him to look over. After a moment he handed it back and shut the door. He'd ordered five boxes, a lot for one house. Usually one house ordered three at most.

I started back up the street as Molly came out. "Okay," she said. "That's about fifteen boxes..."

"Twenty," I corrected her.

"Right, twenty boxes. Let's see that's..." she paused for a moment, doing the math. "A hundred dollars. Wanna call it a day?"

"Yes," I said immediately. I glanced over my shoulder as Molly turned away. There was, just for a brief moment, something standing a few feet away. I moved closer to Molly as we headed back to the orphanage. Black clouds began to move over head the closer we got to the orphanage. As we walked in it began pouring rain. Odd, I didn't realize it was suppose to rain.

"Back so soon? How much did you sell?" Ms. Ceader asked.

"A hundred dollars worth," Molly replied.

"And how much of that did Echo sell by herself?" Ms. Ceader pressed.

"Twenty-five dollars," I said.

Ms. Ceader crossed her arms. "I guess that's fine for today, but go to your room. No one else is back and there's no reason for you two to be out here."

We headed up to our room. "I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with that ignoramus for the next eleven years," I muttered.

Molly rolled her eyes. "You're not going to be stuck with her. I'm sure you'll be adopted before your thirteenth birthday. I mean who wouldn't want you? You're smart, funny, nice, and who wouldn't want a seven year old who uses words like ignoramus?"

"Apparently my parents," I said. "And I can bet I won't get adopted before thirteen. And then after that comes I'll _never_ get adopted!"

So thirteen is like an imaginary cut off for being adopted. No one wants to adopt a teenager. The proof? Ginger, Abigail, Jenny, and Molly. All of them are teenagers and not one person even considered adopting them. After you turn thirteen, you basically know your future. You're stuck in the orphanage until you graduate high school. Those who don't stay in the orphanage after thirteen aren't adopted, but they run away. That's what I plan to do, though I'll never tell Molly. I'm going to run away and lie on the streets. Molly would be an adult by then and I won't see her anyways so why bother even telling her.

Molly sighed. "Echo, do you wanna hear a story?"

I plopped down onto my bed. "Why not? Not like there's anything better to do."

Molly sat down on her bed and closed her eyes for a moment. I really liked Molly's stories. She had almost perfect memory. If she saw something, or heard about something, she could give any detail to it. It took her a moment to gather the memory though. I wish I was a telepath so I could peek into her mind to see what it looks like. I bet it's full of books with every memory she's ever had, each in full detail and reading it was like I was there.

"Okay," Molly said. "Echo, I was eight when you were dropped off here. Meaning you were one year old. You know that, but I think you should know exactly what happened that day."

"Like with my parents?" I questioned. Molly nodded. I never even considered the fact that Molly was here when my parents dropped me off. Her mom died when she was four and her dad was such a wreck, he gave her to the orphanage and killed himself. She was only five when it happened, but when she told me that story it was like she had only lived it moments before.

"So, it was a warm, breezy, autumn day. The time was eleven fifty two when the main doors opened. A woman and a man walked in, there was a baby girl in the woman's arms. The man had blonde messy hair, blue eyes, and he wore an odd kimono. It was black with strange white symbols on it. And the woman had brown, braided hair and bright green eyes. She wore some kind of an adventure's outfit, a kaki shirt with a bunch of pockets and green jeans. Anyway, it was about five minutes before they finally handed you over to Ms. Ceader and left." Molly opened her eyes and looked to me.

I didn't know what to think. I always thought my parents came in, handed me straight to Ms. Ceader, and left. I looked down at the green carpeted floor. It never occurred to me that they may not have been able to care for me and how hard it could've been on them. "So, do you think I'll ever see them again?" I asked.

Molly shrugged. "It's hard to say. A lot can change in six years."

I sighed and looked out the window. The storm was gone and the city seemed calm. A thought occurred. "Molly, where were you when all this was happening?"

"Well, I was eight, and there was nothing to do, so I was just reading in the main hall," Molly replied.

"Oh," I mumbled. Suddenly there was a shriek from downstairs. It sounded like Ginger. Even though Molly and I didn't care for her, we jumped up and dashed out the door. Only after we got downstairs did I realize I shouldn't have left. There, holding Ginger by the neck, was a big, purple snake. And he smiled. Right. At. Me.

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><p><strong>Bam-what! Lol! I left you at a cliff hanger. It's my favorite kind of cliff. All the other ones I usually fall off of... Which reminds me. Warning: Do NOT follow in my foot steps. I tend to walk into walls and off the occasional cliff. So review, don't flame, and I really can't wait to read your reviews. Seriously, I really love reading reviews, plus half the time a simple question can help me with writer's block.<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**Butter4Evaz: Thank you! =^_^=**

**Guest: Close! And here's the answer to your other question... (It's in this chapter!)**

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><p>My heart was racing as the snake tossed Ginger like a rag doll. He started towards us, and I swear I saw lightning flash outside. Molly didn't seem as scared as I was because she grabbed a broom and swung it at the snake. The snake put up its staff, it was a golden serpent head with a purple gem in the middle, blocking her strike. It used its staff to sweep Molly aside, practically throwing her across the room. "Looks like now it's just us," the snake hissed. It had an odd accent in its voice, meaning it definitely wasn't from around here.<p>

"No!" I yelled. "Leave me alone!" The wind blew, flinging the door open. I took a step back, the snake just moving closer.

"Echo, go!" Molly called.

"What?" I questioned. "Go where?"

"Remember what was on the news a few weeks ago?" she asked.

I thought for a moment and nodded. The snake lunged at me and I quickly ducked out of the way. I darted out the door and hurried down the street in a raging storm. I looked up at the sky to see the dark clouds were back and lightning cracked across the sky. I glanced back and saw nothing, but I wasn't stopping. I kept going until I reached the outskirts of the city. There, in a small field, was a ship. I climbed aboard and looked around again. No one was outside, probably because of the storm. I took a step back and an alarm sounded. Within seconds, nine ninja were out on the decks with me.

"What?" the blue ninja questioned. "I thought we were gonna get to fight something."

I saw the golden ninja, the one that had destroyed the Overlord, and I knew he'd be the one to protect me. I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "Don't let it get me," I whimpered.

"Don't let what get you?" he asked.

"The purple snake!" I cried. "It's after me."

"Wait, Pythor? That's not even possible," the pink ninja said. "Are you sure you weren't imagining things?"

I shook my head. "I-It hurt Molly and Ginger. I know it was real!"

"She seems pretty spooked," the black ninja said. "Let's just take her to Sensei Wu and see if he can calm her."

The golden ninja lead me down to the lower decks. He knocked on a door and called, "Uncle Wu?"

The door opened and a man with a white kimono and bamboo hat stood in the door way. I looked up at his blue eyes as they widened. He quickly shook off what ever he was thinking and asked, "Who's this?"

"I-I'm Echo," I stuttered, still a bit shaken. "There's a s-snake after me."

The man looked up to the golden ninja. "Apparently Pythor's back," the ninja said.

The man signaled for us to come in. We sat down as the man walked over and sat down in front of us. He poured some tea and it was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure you saw a snake?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "He was big, purple, and he carried a golden staff." There was a small rumbled of thunder in the distance.

The man thought for a moment. "My name is Sensei Wu," he said. "Until we find Pythor, you're welcome to stay here. Lloyd will show you around."

"Right," the gold ninja said. He stood up and held out his hand. I hesitantly took his hand and we walked out of the room. "So Echo, how old are you?"

"Seven," I mumbled shyly. "The other ninja and you, you're not gonna forget about me and let the snake get me, right?"

"Of course not," Lloyd assured me.

"Okay, good," I sighed in relief. We walked over to another room. Lloyd opened it and the girl ninja and another girl were inside.

"Echo, you'll be staying with the girls," Lloyd told me. "Girls, this is Echo. Sensei said she'll be staying until we get the Pythor thing under control."

"Cool! It's like having a sleep over!" the orange ninja squealed. "Hi, my name is Lillie."

"She's got the mental age of a six year old," the grey ninja mumbled. "My name is Tove."

The pink ninja rolled her eyes. "My name is Alex," she said kindly.

"I'm Vanessa, eh," the purple ninja said.

"And I'm Nya," the other girl said.

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled a little.

Alex walked over to the closet and grabbed a couple of blankets and a pillow. She set up an area for me to sleep. "Well, there ya go," she said awkwardly.

"Thank you," I said with a small yawn.

"Aw! Isn't she just adorable?" Lillie squealed.

"Lillie, she's not a dog," Tove chided.

I sat down on the makeshift bed. "Don't worry, eh," Vanessa said. "Soon Pythor will be gone and you can go back to your life."

"Oh yippie," I mumbled sarcastically then instantly covered my mouth. I didn't like being sarcastic but sometimes it just slips out. I usually like saying directly what's on my mind.

"You don't sound so happy about it," Nya noted. "Do you not like the way your life is?"

I couldn't stop myself from answering, "Not really. The orphanage stinks and I know I'm never gettin adopted. No one hardly notices me and by my thirteenth birthday my only friend will already be old enough to leave so I'll be by myself."

"What's wrong with thirteen? I've always hated eleven," Alex murmured.

"Well once you're thirteen you have two options. Get over yourself and stay at the orphanage or run away," I explained. "No one ever gets adopted after they become a teenager."

"Don't say that, I'm sure you'll get adopted," Lillie said. She gasped and her eyes grew big. "Maybe I could..."

"Lillie we can't even trust you with a bucket without it getting stuck on your head. Then you can't get it off, forgetting your power to go through solid objects. We aren't trusting you with a little girl," Tove interrupted. "Especially when your mental age is younger than her."

"It's fine," I told them. "I was planning on running away anyhow. I have my whole life after my thirteenth birthday figured out, so no worries."

The five started staring at me as if they didn't believe me. "Echo, don't even think like that," Nya scolded. "You don't need to be running away at thirteen."

"I ran away at thirteen," Alex said. "But then again I had eight years of ninja training."

"Trust my word, Echo," Tove said. "The city is no place for a kid, teen, or even an adult to live without a home."

I looked down. That's what I get for sharing my ideas. No one ever stopped to consider the fact that maybe I was tough enough to survive on my own. Or that maybe I knew where to go. Not that I was or did, but they still should've thought about it a bit more. I laid down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling. "What's it like being a ninja?" I asked absent mindedly.

"It's great, eh," Vanessa replied. "Minus all the training sessions Alex is in charge of."

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't handle a little extra work," Alex said defensively.

"A little? Alex you once made me do push ups until my arms gave out," Lillie complained.

Alex laughed a little. "That actually had nothing to do with training, I just wanted to see how many you could do. And let me say, fifteen is not that impressive."

"What about that time you made us fight blind folded?" Tove questioned. "Didn't that have something to do wih training?"

"Well yeah. What if you're in the dark, or are blinded by smoke or something? You're gonna thank me for that training session then," Alex said with a smirk.

"If you guys want I don't think it's too late to become a samurai," Nya offered.

"No way!" Tove declined.

"Nah," Vanessa mumbled. "I'm good with being a ninja, eh."

"I'm not sure I can handle being a samurai. The technology and stuff will get mixed up in my head," Lillie said.

"And I'm pretty sure it is too late for me to change," Alex added.

The five continued to talk for a few more minutes. I slowly drifted into sleep. I'd miss Molly for the time being, and the idea that a snake was after me wasn't to pleasant either, but I was still tired enough to push that aside. I closed my eyes, and within seconds, I was fast asleep.

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><p><strong>I am more than willing to answer any question about Alex, Tove, Lillie, or Vanessa. But yeah, Echo is now on the Bounty. I'm so tempted to write a spoiler in this, but I'm not gonna... Hopefully. So I'll just wrap this up. Review, no flaming, and I'll update soon!<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

**What? No reviews? I feel empty inside... Well here's the next chapter. Remember: I'll be updating every Tuesday unless something comes up. Time varies on when I remember on Tuesday...**

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><p>I woke up and rolled to my right, half expecting to see a clock, but then I remembered I wasn't in the orphanage. I pushed myself up and looked at the other beds. The five girls were gone. I guess I got a bit scared and panicked. I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the room, accidently running into a man. It wasn't their Sensei though, his man was different. He had grey hair and carmel colored eyes. He wore a dark kimono. "I'm sorry," I quickly apologized.<p>

"It's all right," the man said, his voice sounded familiar. "I should've been paying attention."

I thought for a moment, nothing came up and I frowned. "Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked. "You seem very familiar."

"Yeah, I use to go by Lord Garmadon, but now it's just Garmadon," he replied.

"Wait Lord Garmadon?" I gasped. "The one that defeated the giant snake in Ninjago City?"

He blinked, as if he were expecting a different reaction. "Yep, that's me," he said.

"Oh my gosh! I'm actually meeting Lord Garmadon! This is so cool!" I exclaimed.

"Seriously?" he asked. "None of the ninja told you to say this, did they?"

My huge smile faded. "Why would they do that? Of course I'm being serious. Everyone at the orphanage idolizes you," I told him, my smile returning.

"They idolize me?" he questioned, for some reason finding it hard to grasp.

I sighed as if I were explaining this to a five year old. "Yes. We look up to you," I said a bit slower. "Well you and the gold ninja of course. You both saved the city from impending doom. You're both really cool!"

"Would you mind telling Kai that?" Garmadon asked.

"Sure. Which one is he?" I questioned.

"The red ninja," he replied.

"Got it," I said. I grabbed Garmadon's wrist and lead him out to the upper decks. I wanted him to see Kai's reaction because apparently Kai didn't like him. I mean, sure he use to be evil, but he save the city from a snake.

The other ninja looked to us as we walked out. "Oh, so you've met my dad," Alex mumbled. "Great."

"It is great!" I exclaimed. "Garmadon's like the coolest person alive! Uh, no offense Lloyd, but I remember more about the giant snake than I do about the giant dragon."

"Wait, did you just use the name Garmadon and the word coolest in the same sentance?" the red ninja questioned, I assumed it was Kai.

"Yep!" I smiled. "Cooler than you, obviously."

"Wow, what does the world come to when Garmadon is considered cooler than Kai," the blue ninja joked.

"Shut up, Jay," Kai snapped. "Garmadon probably tricked her into saying it."

"Nope," I told him. "When you save the city from a giant reptile, then we'll see who's cooler."

"Technically Garmadon never would've been able to defeat it if it weren't for us," the white ninja pointed out.

"Zane's got a point," the black ninja said, crossing his arms.

I thought for a moment. I didn't remember seeing the ninja helping. "Well Garmadon did the cool part," I said.

"Can't you guys just live with the fact that some people think I'm cool?" Garmadon asked.

"We'll just let the matter drop," Lloyd said.

"Echo, wanna watch us train for a while?" Alex asked. "You could learn a thing or two."

"Okay," I replied. Garmadon walked back down to the lower decks. I sat next to the door as the ninja continued their training on some kind of training course. It looked pretty cool too. They made it look so easy.

Alex glanced at me, like she wanted to make sure I was watching. She smirked and turned to Kai. "Heads up, Hothead," she called. Kai turned to her as she clashed her swords against his red one. No one stopped, as if the two fighting in the middle of the course wasn't surprising. Tove for a brief moment paused to face palm. I thought the punching bag that was spinning around would hit her, but instead it passed right through her. I shivered at the sight, just imagining how creepy that must've felt.

I guess Alex and Kai going at it started something because next thing you knew Jay yelled, "Cole, behind you!"

Cole, the black ninja, spun around and put his sword and block Vanessa's bo staff. "Thought I was gonna get you that time, eh," she mumbled. Lillie drew two daggers and flung herself at Jay. He quickly put up his sword in defense. It seemed Tove couldn't resist an all out battle so she turned and faced Zane. Lloyd slipped away and walked over to me.

"Once again, it goes from training course to sparring," he mumbled.

I stood up. "They're not gonna hurt each other right?" I asked, feeling dumb for having to ask.

"Definately not," Lloyd replied. "It's just to see who's the last one standing. Last week it was Tove, the three weeks before that it was Alex, and all the other times it was me."

"Really?" I questioned. "How come?"

"Well, my powers automatically make me the most powerful, but sometimes I get caught off guard," Lloud explained. "Alex has been training to be a ninja since she was, five I think. Then Tove, well you saw her powers right? It's kinda hard to take down an opponite who can go through you. Lillie can do that too but..." I looked up at Lloyd. He didn't finish the sentance not because he didn't know what to say, but because he was too busy staring dreamily at Lillie. The orange ninja glaced over to him, her cheeks turned a bright pink, and then she face planted onto the deck.

"Is there something wrong with Lillie?" I asked, not trying to be rude. "She looks, say eighteen, and yet..."

"Yet you know more than her? Yeah, she doesn't talk about it much," Lloyd said, his mind obviously elsewhere, probably wondering why. "I think it may have something to do with her parents, but I'm not sure."

I watched them with Lloyd for another moment. "Um, I think I'm gonna go talk with your Sensei," I said. "I just feel there's something I need to tell him." I didn't know what I was talking about. It was like my brain was shut down, but my mouth was up and running.

"Okay," Lloyd said. "I'd better join in anyway." He ran over to them as I walked back to the lower decks. I knew there was something important, a connection I felt with the ninja. I just needed to figure it out.

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><p><strong>Was that a slow chapter? I kinda just wanted to write something where Echo was getting a feel for what the ninja did. All she knew about them was... That they were ninja. So um... =^_^= (that's a cat face for those who don't know) Review and don't flame!<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

**Guest: Well Wu does know her... but I can't tell you the connection she feels. Too much of a spoiler. **

**Echo discovers her weapon of choice in this chapter! Everyone has one! Even me... O_o JK! Maybe...**

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><p>I walked over to their Sensei's door and was about to knock. I heard noise from the room across the hall. It wasn't my place to evesdrop on these people. After all I was a guest and it probably wasn't even about me. I mean these people hardly knew me! Yet curiousity won over and I found myself slowly walking over and placing my ear on the door.<p>

"Of course not," a woman's voice said. "Garmadon we were only saying..."

"You're hiding something, Misako," Garmadon's voice insisted. "Wu?"

"I would prefer to stay out of this," their Sensei's voice murmured. It had a slight echo to it, like he was about to take a sip out of a cup. I assumed he might have been drinking tea.

"I can't stand it when you two hide things from me," Garmadon mumbled. "It makes me feel like you still can't trust me."

"Garmadon, that's not true," Misako said assuringly. "We trust you with our lives."

"It's just somethings are not ready to be discussed. Not yet," Wu added.

I took a step back. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I didn't really need to know. I walked over to their Sensei's room and slipped inside. I looked around for a moment looking for something but not knowing what. I caught a glimpse of something, black, small, and shining. I turned towards where I saw it and walked over. There was a duffle bag on the floor and it was partly opened. I know I shouldn't have, but I unzipped it the rest of the way.

Inside were about a dozen small knives, all looked exactly same. I picked one up and studied it. The handle to it was about as long at the blade, maybe longer, and the blade was black and shaped like a diamond. There was a small hole at the edge of the handle, probably to make carrying it around easier.

"Kunai," a voice said.

I jumped up, dropping the knife. I spun around to see Alex. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "I was just..."

"It's fine," Alex said. She stayed in the doorway though, as if there was a barrier keeping her from entering all the way. "Kunai are one weapon I'm not sure I'll ever use."

"Why?" I asked. "They seem like regular throwing knives."

Alex smirked like I cracked a mildly funny joke. "They can be used for many things. Throwing them is a possiblity, but you have to hold them a certain way and flick your wrist just right."

Now I was confused. So I said, "I thought you just said you've never used one."

"I haven't, but just by looking at them I can tell you anything about them. They're good for close combat too, though then you can only use one or two at a time," Alex mused. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle a little the more she studied them. "They were forged from pure lava rock. Oh what's it called?"

"Um, igneous rock?" I guessed.

"Yes," Alex confirmed. "Amphibole most likely."

I stared at her for a moment. She could tell all that from just a glance? "How do you know?" I asked, a part of me hoping I could learn.

Alex shook her head and closed her eyes. When they opened it seemed like she'd just come out of a trance. "I'm the Ninja of Weapons. It's easy for my to tell what a weapon is, how it's used, and how it was formed by just looking at it," she said, her voice no longer soft like it was a moment before. She sounded more stern and strong. "Why are you even in my uncle's room anyway?" she asked.

I knelt down and put the kunai away, zipping the bag. "I guess I saw the kunai and got curious," I said. I stood back up and looked to Alex. Part of me was afraid she'd scold me for doing so. I knew I wasn't suppose to be in here, and if I broke the rules then surely I'd be punished.

"Well, be careful," she mumbled. Now I knew how Garmadon felt earlier. I wasn't expecting that reaction. Be careful? Alex must've noted my confused look and added, "Curiosity killed the cat."

I frowned. "That never made sense to me."

"Well, I'm not much of an animal person, but I know cats are often nosey. They stick their noses where they don't belong and sometimes... Well sometimes they end up in an alien invasion in some far away dimension."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

I looked at Alex for a moment. She wasn't like the others, I could tell that now. I saw that sometimes her mind wouldn't be where she was. Like I get sometimes. Alex turned her head and a second later the door across the hall opened. I walked over to Alex and stood by her as her Sensei walked out.

"Hey, Uncle," she started. "We really need to talk."

Wu sighed, like talking was the last thing he wanted to do. "Can it wait until later?" he asked sternly, but gently.

"Of course but not past sunset," Alex replied. "May I use the spirit sticks?"

"Sure," Wu said.

Alex walked into her Sensei's room and shut the door behind her. "What're spirit sticks?" I questioned. I covered my mouth, remembering he didn't want to talk. "Uh, never mind," I said quickly. "Forget I asked."

The Sensei smiled at me. I didn't understand these people. I finally get somewhere where people noticed me, but now that they did, I wanted to fade away again. I guess I'm not much of a 'people person' after all. I'd be the one in the background and after the snake is gone, that's where I planned to go. "Echo," Wu said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I have a questioned," he murmured. "Do you know why Pythor would be after you?"

"Pythor? Oh the snake," I mumbled to myself. It was a good question. I'd never seen the snake before yesterday. I finally shook my head. "No, I don't," I said. "Maybe it thought I was someone else." It was a dumb reason, but it was he only one I could think of.

"That is doubtful but possible," Wu told me.

The white ninja, Zane, walked into the hall. I felt like he temperature dropped a few degrees as he walked over to us. "Sensei, we have a situation," he said in a monotone voice. He glanced and me and I took a step back, knowing the snake Pythor was here.

Sensei Wu nodded. "Echo go into my room and wait there with Alex."

"Okay," I said in a small voice. I went into his room and shut the door. Alex was sitting in meditation with a couple sticks in front of her. They had no flame but smoked.

She opened her eyes and stood up. "Echo, grab a kunai," she instructed. "You may need it."

I didn't question her. I ran to the bag and unzipped it. I took a kunai out and held it firmly in my hand. I looked over to the door and watched it as I went to Alex's side. "Don't... Don't let him get me," I stammered.

"I won't," Alex promised. "You'll be fine."

I trusted the pink ninja. I scooted closer to her and watched the door. I didn't know how well the ninja do against the snake. I'd never seen him fight. Suddenly the door knob turned. Alex drew her swords and I got my kunai ready. The door swung open.

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><p><strong>So... Pythor's attacking... I know a lot about kunai... Which reminds me, in case you're having trouble picturing one, they're the knives that the ninja on Naruto use. The black ones. Yeah... You can look it up too. It's actually pretty cool and I wish I had one or two or three or, you get the point. So review don't flame!<strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**Gah! I know I'm late, but I can explain! See, on Tuesday I had freshman orientation. Wednsday, I had to work on an application for a camp this summer. As for yesterday... I forgot... So now I'll answer reviews!**

**Guest: All I have to say is "Yes, yes he does."**

**Luna Julien: Nice name! Also, yes Vanessa is suppose to be Canadian. Though since there's "nothing beyond Ninjago" she isn't actually from Canada. **

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><p>There was no one there. For a split second I relaxed, but Alex lunged forward, and her swords clashed off something. Knowing Pythor could turn invisible frightened me. I backed up to the wall, through the window I saw a flash and then heard thunder. Another storm? They weren't even suppose to get one drop of rain this week! I couldn't imagine what everyone else was trying to make of it.<p>

I looked back to Alex as Pythor, still invisible, knocked her into the door. He turned to me and became visible. "Well, well, Echo. Looks like you've found the ninja. Too bad they're no math for me," he smirked.

I gripped the kunai tightly. "What do you even want with me?" I asked, thunder rumbling with my voice.

"You still haven't figured it out? Pity," he mumbled. "Though I suppose I can explain your gift later."

"What gift?" I questioned. "What are you talking about?" Alex looked up at me. She signaled for me to keep talking. She slowly got up and backed out of the door. I thought she was going to leave, but she didn't go too far from the doorway. She signaled again for me to keep talking. "What gift?" I asked in a more demanding tone. The ship swayed a little and thunder boomed.

"Why bother explaining?" Pythor griped. "You obviously don't realize what's happening outside."

I thought for a moment. I couldn't have created the storm. I looked passed to Alex who was trying to connect the dots. "I didn't make the storm," I said. "I couldn't have."

"But you did," Pythor smiled at me like I was a precious gem.

"Guys!" Alex called.

Pythor spun around in annoyance. "Why can't you ninja just except defeat?" he growled.

"Pythor, those are two words that should never be used in the same sentance unless the word 'never' is in front of them," Alex said. The other ninja arrived at her side.

"There's no time for this!" Pythor hissed. He ran at me. I closed my eyes and slashed the kunai in front of me. I must've missed because I felt him wrap his arms around me.

"Let me go!" I yelled, the ship shaking from the storm outside. The kunai fell out of my hand and his grip got tighter. He forced me over to the door.

"Don't even think about stopping me if you want the girl to stay safe," he warned. The ninja hesitated, I guess not knowing whether it was a bluff or not.

"If you think you're leaving here with Echo, you're dead wrong," Kai growled.

It was a stalemate. The ninja nor Pythor moved. I couldn't slip out of his grasp without a distraction. The door across the hall opened and a woman was standing there. She had grey hair that was tied back in braids and emerald eyes. Her outfit... I didn't know what to think. She wore the same clothes as Molly described my mom in. It had to be a coincidence though. She narrowed her eyes at Pythor and spun into a silver vortex. The ninja stepped back like they'd never seen her do that before. She spun over and hit Pythor. I was able to escape him and I ran over to Alex and Lloyd.

When she came out of the vortex Pythor was gone. Alex glanced around and sighed in relief. "He left for now," she said. "Mom, since when have you known Spinjitzu?"

"A long time," she told her. Her voice... She was Misako, the woman that was talking to Wu and Garmadon earlier. She turned to me for a brief second before looking away. "Is everyone all right?"

"Fine," Kai said. He glanced outside. As I calmed down, the storm ceased. Maybe I really did cause it.

"Echo, are you okay?" Misako asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. A little shaken but okay."

Misako looked outside as well. "The storm has passed," she noted.

"Yeah, about that," Alex started. She looked down at me.

I shook my head. "I didn't do it," I insisted. "I don't care what Pythor said. I can't make storms."

Everyone was staring at me, and my cheeks started to burn. Zane took a step towards me and again, the temperature dropped. "Are you sure?" he asked.

I nodded, then wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. "It's c-cold near you," I said.

"Um, excuse me?" Zane questioned.

"It's cold around you," I repeated more sternly.

"Well he is the Ninja of Ice," Tove informed me. "Though I've never felt colder around him."

"Neither have I, and I have sixth sense," Alex added.

Zane took a step back, causing the cold to vanish. Misako stared at me for a moment in silence. She closed her eyes for a second before asking, "Echo, has your skin ever been sensitive to heat and cold?"

I slowly nodded. "Yeah. I can't go out during winter without, like, six coats. And in the summer I try not to go out during really hot days. Sometimes the kids at school... Oh crud! I didn't go to school today!" I was freaking out a little. Small grey clouds formed in the sky outside. How could I miss school?! Who knows what the other kids were wondering, not that they noticed me all the time, but when the teachers do role call they will definitely know I'm gone!

"Wait, so you actually wanna go to school?" Alex questioned.

"And learn stuff?" Cole added.

"Are you okay?" Tove asked.

"I happen to like school," I retorted.

"Yeah, until you make it to middle school," Jay commented.

"Eh, I hated middle school," Vanessa mumbled.

I stared at the in confusion. Did they all really hate school? I thought it was fun, for the most part. Sure, some of the kids teased me, but at least the acknowledged that I was there. I looked down, feeling like a geek. "Well, I guess it wouldn't have been safe for my classmates if I went to school with a psychotic snake after me anyways," I pointed out. "They might get hurt."

"And we wouldn't want that," Lloyd agreed. I smiled at Lloyd for a moment. He was so kind and seemed to understand me. Lloyd stared at me for a second before asking, "What?"

"Nothing," I said, looking back down. It was quiet for another moment.

"So," Jay said to break the silence. "We probably should start tracking Pythor, find out his plans."

"Great idea, Jay," Misako agreed.

"Someone take a picture! Jay had a great idea," Tove joked.

"Ha, ha," Jay mumbled. We walked out to the upper decks and up a flight of stairs. We went into a room that seemed to be the main control area.

There was a man working at the computer, which must have been the awesomest computer in all of Ninjago! He turned to us and said, "I've already sent to Falcon out to look for Pythor. I caught a glimpse of him on the heat vision camera." He smiled at me. "This must be Echo."

I nodded but kept my mouth shut. Zane saw I was nervous and said, "Echo this is my father."

"You can call me Dr. Julien," Zane's dad added.

"Oh, hi," I said shyly. The ninja walked over to the monitor, but Misako signaled me to sit with her at the table. I nodded and sat down across from her. "Yeah?"

"What's your mom or dad's number? I wanna call them and tell them you're all right," she said.

I looked down. "I don't have any parents. I live at the orphanage in Ninjago City. Ms. Ceader doesn't care though," I muttered.

Misako looked at me with pain filled eyes. "Is there anyone who would like to know you're safe?" she asked.

I nodded and she handed me the phone. I thought for a moment and dialed Molly's cell number. It rang once. Twice. Three times. No answer. It went to voice mail. "Um, Molly," I started in the message. "I wanted to call and let you know I'm all right. I don't want you getting hurt so just... Just don't come and get me. I'll see you when this blows over. Bye." I hung up the phone and handed it back to Misako. "She didn't answer, I left her a message."

"Do you have an idea about why she didn't answer?" Kai asked, walking over to us. I felt a rush of heat wash over me. It was mild, but it got stronger the closer he got.

"Molly won't answer if she doesn't know the number. She'll probably get the message tonight and call back in the morning," I answered. "She's like that."

"You two seem close," Kai noted. "Do you see her as your sister?"

"More than you could ever know," I mumbled. "She's like the only family that hasn't left me in the dust."

Misako's expression changed. She looked like she was hit with a truck. Then the truck backed up and hit her again. It was painful and uncomfortable. "That's awful," she managed. "I don't see why anyone would leave you behind."

I decided not to say anymore. For all I knew, Misako may have had the same experience as me. Me talking about it might bring up bad memories for her. Well I was ready for a change in subject too. Kai sat down next to me, and I felt like I was going to burst into flames. I swallowed hard and said, "Kai, heat." I felt the heat grow as he looked at me.

"What? Oh, I guess my powers affect you too," he said, mainly to himself. He got up and moved next to Misako. "Better?"

I felt a little better. At least now I could breath easier. I nodded. "Better." It was quiet gor a second. The others were talking, but they seemed so far away for some reason. I smiled and added, "On the bright side, you'll never be able to sneak up on me."

"How is that the bright side?" Kai asked.

"Well, maybe it isn't for you," I said. "But, I'm happy about it." Kai rolled his eyes and Misako smiled at me. I felt comfortable with the ninja for some reason. It was a safe feeling, which I guess should've been natural around the protecters of Ninjago.

Lillie walked over to us. "We're flying into the city," she said. "Pythor's there."

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><p><strong>So how was that? Took me three days to write. Or maybe two. It's hard to tell. Also... My iPod fell out of my pocket and cracked. I'm writing this and trying to ignore the little lines on my key board. It all still works but uh... Yeah. So review! Don't Flame! And when in doubt; Push random buttons!<strong>


	7. Chapter 6

**Oh my Master of Spinjitzu! I'm a day late... Again! But I have a legit reason. I've been a little sick and yesterday I fell asleep. Gosh I hope I don't have a stomach bug that's contagious because I'm still going to school. I've got perfect attendance to keep. **

**Guest: No, she isn't Misako and Garmadon's child. I can't tell you anything on why she was given to the orphanage. That would be revealing too much and spoil it for everyone. And other powers... None that I can think of...**

**Luna Julien: No problem!**

**PyroPixels: Aw! Well I'm glad I could help make your day!**

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><p>The ninja prepared to head into the city. I tried staying calm, in case Pythor wasn't lying about what caused the storms. Each time a storm happened, I was worked up. As I calmed down, the storm vanished. I decided not to test the theory by allowing myself to get scared. "You wanna come?" Alex asked me.<p>

I was about to answer, but Misako said, "Alex, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Hey, I'll be fine," I assured her. "Besides, I don't think I wanna stay here without all the ninja."

Misako looked like she was about to argue. Then their Sensei came out and said, "She'll be fine, Misako." He walked over to me and slipped me a kunai. I smiled and put it in my pocket.

"Sensei agrees," Cole said, stepping up next to Alex. "We'll make sure nothing happens to Echo."

Alex seemed to blush, being so close to Cole. If you were paying attention to it, it was obvious she liked him, but she kept a straight face. If you just glanced at her, you wouldn't see the pink in her face. I didn't jut glance at people though. I saw her blushing. She obviously liked Cole, which to me was gross. I don't have anything against Cole, he seems cool, it's just boys in general are gross.

"Let's go," Kai said. "We need to hurry or we might lose him."

"Lose the snake? Wouldn't that be a good thing?" I asked.

"We still need to know why Pythor's after you," Zane said.

I nodded in understandment. I guess I wanted to know too why Pythor was after me. We headed into the city. I walked with Alex and Lloyd as we split up to search the city. Splitting up, I thought that was a stupid idea since we'd be stronger in a group, but I said nothing. Alex and Lloyd were quiet as we walked. I stayed silent, not wanting to distract them.

We were starting down Fifth Street when I stopped. I knew this section well. Alex stopped and looked back to me. "What's wrong, Echo?" she asked.

"The orphanage," I replied, looking down the street a little ways. "It's right down the street and Molly's probably there. It's almost fourish."

"Do you wanna stop by?" Lloyd asked me. "We could stop in for a moment."

I wanted to immediately say yes, but I thought it out in my head. "No," I decided. "If I went back, Ms. Ceader won't let me leave again."

Alex and Lloyd exchanged looks. "Well, okay," Alex said. "We can't just leave you at the orphanage."

"No, it'll put he other kids in danger," I agreed. "Let's just keep moving."

We walked down the street. As I passed the orphanage, I felt a surge of panic. What if I never saw the orphanage again, and I never saw Molly again? Molly was the only person who ever cared for me in the first place. Sure, the ninja were nice, but they were just doing their job. I shivered in the warmth of the day as we continued on ward.

I saw a flash of purple out of the corner of my eye. I turned to find nothing, but nonetheless I ran and wrapped my arms around Lloyd. I instantly felt a little safer with him, but I knew I saw something. Alex must've seen it too, because she slowly glanced around, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. Lloyd pulled me closer, a look of determination in his eyes. I however pulled out the kunai Wu gave me.

"I sense Pythor," Alex said after a moment of silence. "I don't see him though."

"He can turn invisible," I mumbled.

"I would still be able to see him," Alex told me. "My eyes work differently."

I looked around, trying to force my eyes to work differently too. Something told me it didn't work that way though, and Alex could probably only do it because of her years of ninja training. It was also obvious she had sixth sense because she said she could sense Pythor.

"Keep moving," Lloyd said. "That's what we need to do."

"Maybe meet up with the others?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "It's better to all be together." She glanced at me, but looked away when her eyes rested on the kunai in my hand. She said she wouldn't use kunai, I guess I was making it tempting to her. I slipped the small black knife back into my pocket.

We continued down the street. I kept seeing something purple out of the corner of my eyes. Pythor could turn invisible, but he knew Alex could see him. I glanced back and saw nothing. Maybe he was messing with my head, trying to frighten me. It was working, but I didn't want to show it, didn't want him to think he was succeeding. I needed to be brave.

Alex stopped as we reached a curb. "Wait, if this is Twenty-first street, and we're heading to Anchor Avenue we need to head west right? Down King Drive?" She turned to me and Lloyd.

"How do you not know where we're going? You lived in the city for a while didn't you?" Lloyd questioned.

"Well, yeah. It was for about six months and mainly around the dojo," Alex replied. She looked to me. "You have any idea where to go?"

I shrugged and mumbled, "Twenty-first street? I'm pretty sure we continue north into Brad Road, then head east."

"That's sounds right," Alex agreed, like she knew the whole time. "We'll meet up with Zane and Tove there."

As we waited for the sign to switch to 'walk', I heard a hiss behind us. I quickly spun around to see nothing. I felt so parinoid! Dark clouds covered the sky above us. For a split second, a purple snake appeared in the shadows, a huge grin on his face. Calm down, I told myself. I couldn't get worked up and let Pythor get what he wanted, and he obviously wanted me to use my powers. Lloyd broke me from my thoughts as he pulled me across the street.

"Echo, you need to stay calm," Alex reminded me.

"I... I know," I stammered. "It's just hard."

Alex nodded, like she genuinely understood how hard it was. "Yeah."

Lloyd nudged Alex, but I didn't know why. Alex looked at him and her face darkened. She nodded and slowed down a little. I started to turn to her, but Lloyd whispered, "Keep walking."

I moved closer to Lloyd and kept walking. I felt like I should turn around and helped Alex. I knew she was facing Pythor. We stopped and turned onto Anchor Avenue. Zane and Tove met up with us a few houses down the street. They noticed Alex's absence but said nothing about it.

"We need to head back to the Bounty," Zane said. "Cole, Kai, Vanessa, and Lillie will meet up with us later."

"And where's Jay?" I asked, not knowing where he was.

Tove pursed her lips. "He didn't report back."

"Then we have to find him first," I said.

"No, we need to get you out of Pythor's grasp," Lloyd told me.

I felt my blood boil. They couldn't just leave Jay. "No, we have to find Jay," I insisted.

"Echo," Zane started sternly.

I didn't care what they had to say! Jay was missing and unless he reported in the next five seconds, I was set on finding him. "No," I interupted him. Thunder rumbled from the clouds above. "We need to find Jay."

Tove looked up at he sky. She glanced at me for a moment. "Hate to say it, but I think Pythor was right about your powers. How he knew, that's the real mystery now isn't it?"

I looked at her. I didn't want what was happening to be my powers. The sky was turning a shade of grey, something that would look beautiful if it wasn't coloring the storm clouds. The thunder rolled every so often and the winds picked up a little. Lots of people started fleeing to their houses, leaving us practically alone on the street. This couldn't be right. I didn't cause distruction.

"Echo," Lloyd said, kneeling down next to me. "Just take a deep breath and calm down."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then exhaled. The sky lightened a little and the thunder stopped. "Okay, I get that you guys want to keep me away from Pythor, and that Jay has had ninja training, but we can't just leave without finding him," I said calmly. "Can we just look around where he was suppose to search?"

The three exchanged looks. "We'll check it out," Zane finally said. We started west.

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><p>There was no sign of Jay. We search for thirty minutes and didn't find any trace of him. I was about to tell them we could head back, but something caught my eyes. I turned and walked over into an alley. On the ground, smashed to bits, was the ear piece Jay had. How did I know it was Jay's? It was blue and had his lightning element in it. It seemed all the ninja used that to mark theirs so they knew if it was theirs if they found one.<p>

I picked up the bigger pieces, not wanted toget cut by the smaller pieces. I stood up and walked out. The others were gone. For a moment, I thought they forgot about me and left me. Like everyone else, they probably didn't notice I wasn't there. I dropped the pieces onto the ground and backed up, feeling embarrassed. An arm wrapped around me, and a hand covered my mouth.

The sky turned dark black. I was pulled back into the alley. I struggled as hard as I could, but I wasn't strong enough. A purple tail uncovered he manhole in the ground. Underground. No. I tried screaming. I couldn't go underground. I never understood it, but I had a pathological fear of being underground. It wasn't that I was afraid of it caving in on me. It wasn't the dark. It was just being underground.

The wind picked up and the arms loosened. I pulled away and turned to my attacker. It was Pythor. He reacted quickly and grabbed my wrist. "Stop!" I cried out as he pulled me to the manhole. "Just leave me alone!"

"I can't do that," Pythor hissed. He pulled me into the sewers and my heart started racing. He pulled the manhole cover back over the hole, and everything went black.

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><p><strong>This took longer to write than the other chapters. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I knew she was going to get caught, but I didn't know how. So that's it. Right there. Yes. Have I broken down the fourth wall? Oh well, I won't do it this time. Review, but no flames. <strong>


	8. Chapter 7

**Guest: I'm not sure how to respond to that without spoiling it... I think the answer is in this chapter, but I'm not sure...**

**Yeah, yeah, I'm a day late. [Insert Valid Excuse Here]. We cool? Cool. **

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><p>I sat down in the cell, with my knees pressed against my chest. I was shaking with fear. Pythor had brought me down here, tossed me in, and left. I never felt so alone or forgotten in my life. Pythor finally had me, but all he did was put me in a cell, deep underground. I was there for ten minutes before I heard noise. I shakily my got up as the door opened. Before I could make a run for it, the ninja were pushed into the cell.<p>

Lloyd hurried over to me and examined me, probably afraid I was hurt. He wrapped his arms around me and I shook even more. First he leaves me alone, then he acts like it never happened. I felt tears hot on my face. Alex hit the wall and slid down to the floor. I guess she has anger issues. The others paced or sat down to think. Tove turned invisible for a moment, then stomped her foot.

"Venge stone," Zane noted.

"So powers are out," Lloyd mumbled.

"And I'm weaponless," Alex said. "Of all the evil villains to be captured by, it had to be one who knew I carried back ups!"

Cole looked to me. "Echo, are you okay?" he asked.

I slowly nodded. "I j-just don't like it undergr-ground," I told him, still shaking. He frowned, and I realized that he wouldn't have a single relation, being the Ninja of Earth.

Jay walked over to me and knelt down. "Thanks," he said with a smile.

I nodded. "I wouldn't leave you behind."

Lloyd and I sat down next to Alex. Cole leaned against the wall next to Alex, Jay sat down close by, Zane started meditating, Tove, Lillie, and Vanessa paced in the room, and Kai was trying I open the door. I put my hand on my pocket, feeling the kunai Wu gave me. I looked to Alex. She said she wouldn't use a kunai, but if it could help us...

I pulled it out and offered it to her. "I have a weapon," I said. "Wu gave it to me, and if you can help..."

Alex scrambled to her feet, grabbing Cole's hand, who looked surprised by it. She stared at the kunai. "I can't," she murmured. "I just... I..."

Kai walked over and frowned. "Alex, you're going to have to. Your powers aren't affected by venge stone."

Alex shook her head, squeezing Cole's hand. "You don't understand. Everyone has limits. Mine cuts short of the kunai."

I quickly put the knife away. "Okay," I said. "I was just offering. I didn't know."

Alex blinked, her eyes changing like they did before. It was like she was in a trance. She released Cole's hand and blushed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, sitting back down. "I feel like a loser."

"Limitations does not make you a loser," Cole told her.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Right."

I moved closer to Lloyd. For a brief moment I had forgotten we were underground, but it came flooding back to me. I felt so helpless and hopeless. Even being next to Lloyd didn't make me feel safe. I closed my eyes as Lloyd wrapped his arms around me. What I wouldn't give to have a normal fear, like being afraid of spiders. It was silent for a moment. The air was full of tension, waiting for someone to break the silence with good news or a plan.

"Hello, ninja," a voice hissed. I opened my eyes and looked up at Pythor who was standing at the closed door. "Enjoying your stay?"

"Why are you imprisoning us?" Tove demanded. "Actually let me restate that. I understand why us, but why Echo? What has she done?"

"Nothing yet," Pythor said. "But with her powers, I can imprison all of Ninjago underground forever." I shivered at the thought.

"What makes you think I'll just help you?" I asked.

"Oh, you'll help if you want your friend back," Pythor grinned.

My heart stopped and my eyes widened. "Where's Molly?" I asked, rising to my feet. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, but I'll kill her if you refuse to help," Pythor threatened.

I felt anger and hatred pulse through me. I should've known he'd use her against me at some point. Then I realized he was serious about it. I felt like a lost puppy. I couldn't let him hurt Molly. She was the closest thing I had for a family, and she wasn't even my real family. On the other hand, I couldn't help him take over Ninjago. I could help, and ensure my friend's safety, or refuse and have her killed. I couldn't choose.

"Echo," Lillie said. "Don't help him. He probably doesn't even have Molly."

"Bu I do," Pythor cut in. "Shall I bring her here?"

"Yes," I replied before anyone could object. Pythor vanished, literally, from the doorway. I clenched my fists. I hoped he was bluffing.

"Echo, you cannot allow Pythor to get his way," Zane said, a chilling breeze washing over me.

"But what if he has Molly," I asked, turning to him. "I can't just let him kill her." I was shaking. I could careless about being underground, if Molly was in danger, I needed to help her.

Pythor returned. He opened the door just long enough to push Molly in and shut the door. He left again. I hurried over to Molly, her hands were tied behind her back. I pulled out the kunai and she turned around. I cut the rope and put the kunai away. Molly turned to me and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back and felt tears rush down my face.

It was silent until Molly looked up and snapped, "What's wrong with you? You're suppose to be ninja, but you let Echo get captured."

The ninja all stared at her, probably thinking, 'She did not just tell us off.' I looked up at Molly and said, "No, it was my own fault. Jay was missing and I insisted we didn't leave until we found him."

Molly smiled at me. "You can be so stubborn."

I looked to the other ninja. They still hadn't said anything. I felt like I was back at the breakfast table after Ms. Ceader's arguement with Molly. It was all quiet and no one felt like talking. I moved closer to Molly, and unlike with Lloyd, I felt safe with her.

Finally Alex said, "Back to the topic of getting out. Pythor prepared for all our best moves, what do you two got?"

Molly shrugged. "Nothing that can help."

"Echo, try your powers, eh," Vanessa suggested.

"Powers?" Molly questioned.

"I can't," I said, starting to shake a little again. "N-not underground."

"Okay, then don't even try," Molly told me. "It's okay. It would make sense your powers don't work underground."

"How would you know?" Kai asked. "You don't understand the first thing about powers!"

"Oh yeah? Well you guys don't know the first thing about Echo," Molly argued. "Don't think I can't tell you've left her alone, maybe even more than once."

"What's your point?" Tove asked, crossing her arms.

"Echo's been left alone enough times," Molly said. "Left alone and forgotten. I'm the only one who knows better."

"Molly, we won't ever forget about Echo," Lloyd promised. "And we won't ever leave her alone again."

"Wait," I said. "Why did you leave me alone before?"

Lloyd rubbed his arm. "Uh, we thought we saw something. Then Pythor attacked us."

I looked down. How could one snake be so powerful, powerful enough to take down all the ninja, and then still need my powers to take over Ninjago? There was a noise from outside that snapped me from my thoughts. Molly pulled me closer as she backed up. I'd never seen fear in her eyes until now. The ninja got ready to attack, guarding us.

Pythor appeared at the door. "Echo, the clock's ticking. Which will it be?" he asked with a devious grin.

I stepped defensively in front of Molly. "I'm not helping you, or letting you hurt Molly," I said.

Pythor scowled. "That's not an option. I've already set up for her death. The only way you can save her is by helping me."

"I'm not helping you, and if you want to hurt Molly you have to go through me," I growled.

"Oh I don't have to go anywhere," Pythor hissed. As if on cue, Molly dropped to her knees, holding her stomach. Her face became sickly pale. I dropped to her side. I couldn't believe it. "Now, if you want me to give your friend the antivenom, you're going to help me."

I felt my heart racing. I didn't have time to think. Every second I wasted, was another second closer to Molly's death. I stood up. "Fine!" I cried out. "You win. I'll help you, just give Molly the antivenom!"

"Echo," Lloyd said, trying to change my mind.

Before I could turn to Lloyd, Pythor asked, "Do I have your word?"

I nodded. "Yes!"

Pythor opened the door, tossing Alex a vile. "Now you have a choice girl, it can cure anything. Use it as you please." He grabbed my arm and we started walking out of the cell. Lloyd ran towards Pythor, and the snake put his staff up to block him. "We'll have none of that."

We departed the room. "So what exactly do you want me to do?" I asked.

"I want you to create a storm, big enough to cover all of Ninjago. They'll flee underground, and I'll lock them away. Then I'll find my comrads and free them," Pythor hissed. "And once again, Ninjago will be ours."

"Uh, yeah, brilliant plan," I said. "Except one problem: I don't know how to use my powers."

"It's really quite simple. You've used them before, so just do what you normally do," Pythor told me.

I shifted nervously as we walked down the corridor. I needed to come up with a plan to stall. That way the ninja could escape and stop Pythor. He had my word I'd help him, just not right away. "Well they only activate when I get mad, and I don't get mad very easily," I said.

"Mad or scared," he mumbled. "I'll just need to find a way to either make you angry or scared."

I chuckled. "That's funny, really. But I'm really fine now. I know you, you know me, everything's fine, I'm not scared or mad."

Pythor glared at me. "Are you trying to stall? Aren't you doing it a bit early?"

My cheeks turned red. "Uh..." I quickly thought of an excuse. "Stall? What does that mean?"

"What do you mean by, what does that mean?" Pythor asked.

"I don't know what stall means," I replied. "I'm only seven!"

"Echo, I've watched you since I've known about your powers," Pythor snapped. "You're smarter than an average seven year old."

I started fiddling with the bottom of my shirt. I needed a better lie. He was right, I am smarter than the average seven year old. I can figure some way to stall. We reached the end of the hall. Pythor motioned for me to walk up the steps. I nodded and walked up, light surrounding me as the sun warmed my skin.

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><p><strong>Was this long? Was it a long chapter? Oh well. Anyone wanna guess why Echo has a fear of being underground? Just put two and two together. <strong>

**Echo: Four? Or is this suppose to be fish?**

**I thought we decided not to break down the fourth wall!**

**Echo: And I thought you decided to play Just Dance to be active. **

**... ... I have no comment. Just... Just review, but don't... Don't flame. **


	9. Chapter 8

**Thanks to all of you who have put up with some of my late chapters and for reviewing. It really makes my day when I open my e-mail and a review pops up. So here's the next chapter. It's the longest so far.**

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><p>It felt great being above ground. If I wasn't kinda a hostage to a psychotic snake, I would've savored the moment. I looked up at the clear sky, it was so peaceful. I could only imagine what was going on in the city. They had no idea what would happen if I lost control. My powers caused destruction. Pythor should've just left me in the cell underground. If he got a storm, I'd make sure it destroyed everything so the serpentine couldn't have it. I wouldn't let him get what he wanted.<p>

"Now, let's discuss what kind of storm it needs to be," Pythor said, grabbing my wrist tightly.

I winced a little. "What do you mean?"

"I say a tornado with a snow storm and enough static in the air for tons of lightning," Pythor mumbled.

"Can it just be a storm?" I asked.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Pythor snapped. "It has to be precise."

"Okay," I said, yanking my arm away from Pythor. "So a lightning snow-nado storm? That's three seperate storms, and I don't even know how to make one!"

"You'll figure it out," he grinned.

I didn't like this, not one bit. I looked around the area. I was in a forest. I could probably run through and escape. Then I could find the Bounty and get Misako, Wu, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien. Good plan, my only plan. Now I just needed to distract him so I could have a head start. Every second counts! "So..." I said. "I can make this storm, and then the ninja and Molly stay safe right?"

"Sure," Pythor muttered, turning away most likely so I couldn't tell he was lying. That's what I expected to happen. I bolted, my feet making no noise as it touched the ground. I figured I had less than a minute before Pythor realized I left.

I looked around, trying to remember the forest from our school field trip. We'd came here to talk about different types of plants and animals. We saw a couple deer but that was it. The boys in my class pretended to have guns, yelled "boom" as loud as they could, and scared the deer off. So much for being close to nature. I thought the trip was a total waste of time until now. I could navigate my way back to city limits. Then finding a flying ship would be a piece of cake. Time was the problem. What if I wasn't fast enough?

I started up a small hill. The city was right over it, down it a little ways. If I was lucky, the Bounty would be overhead soon too. Apparently I wasn't lucky today. I tripped over my own two feet and fell face first into the grass. I was dazed for a moment. That moment was just long enough for Pythor to catch up. While I was still dazed, he grabbed me by the back of my shirt and lifted me to my feet. He spun me around. He looked mad. Like... Dump somebody's hot chocolate into the snow mad. Trust me, someone did it to me before and I was not happy about it. Not one bit!

"You little pest!" he hissed. "I'd end you now if I didn't still need you!"

I felt my heart begin to race. The sky started to darken. _No!_ I told myself. _Not now!_ I calmed myself down and the sun peeked back out, not that it mattered. No one was coming to help me. I'd have to make the storm.

Next thing I knew, a rock hit Pythor in the head. Not a tiny pebble, this rock was he size of my fist, maybe bigger. Pythor turned his head, dropped me onto the ground, and vanished. I felt daze again. My head had hit the ground twice in the last minute. It hurt. Two figures came into my view, but they just seemed like silhouettes. Though just by that, I thought about my parents. They looked like how Molly had described them from what I could see.

"Echo," a familiar voice said as the figure to my left knelt down to me. "Are you okay?"

"Back," I mumbled, not having a clue what I was saying. "M-Mom?" My vision began to fade, my head throbbed in pain. I didn't want it to fade though. Even if I was hallucinating, it was the first time I felt like no one would ever forget me again. Someone had saved me, and I thought it was my parents. It faded until I went unconsious.

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><p>When I came to I sat up immediately, thinking it was all a dream. I looked around and found myself in yet a different room. There was nothing but a bed, a nightstand, a few chairs, and a door. I watched the door for a moment, wondering if Pythor caught me again. It seemed to nice though. Too nice and comforting. Misako walked in, and I was relieved to see a familiar face.<p>

"Echo, I'm glad you're awake," she said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," she replied. "You came running up the hill and tripped. Pythor appeared, but we scared him off. Then you mumbled 'back' and... and you called me 'Mom'."

I felt my cheeks turn red. I looked down. "Uh... I'm sorry. I just... Molly told me a story and you looked like her. Though I couldn't see very well, everything was going black, and I don't know how I knew."

"It's fine," Misako told me. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

I bit my lip. "Others," I mumbled. "Pythor has them."

Misako's face darkened. She looked worried. "We figured that was why you came back from a different direction and alone. Nya went to locate them. Alex and Lloyd, they aren't hurt right?"

I shook my head. "They were fine when I was taken out." Misako silently sighed in relief. "And," I continued. "Pythor had Molly. I had to agree to help him in order to save her. He poisoned her."

Misako walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "It'll be okay," she told me. "She's fine now, right?" I nodded. "The ninja won't let Pythor hurt her again."

I slowly nodded again. Pythor wasn't even back at the tunnel. I didn't know how, but I knew he wasn't. "We need to go find them," I insisted.

"We'll go help, but you're staying here with Dr. Julien and Wu," Misako said.

"But I wanna..."

"Garmadon and I will find them," Misako assured me. "You just stay here and rest."

I sighed. A part of me was screaming, 'You should be thankful!' Obviously that part of me wasn't listening he part that knew Pythor was waiting. Wu walked in the room. For a split second, I could picture him as my dad. That couldn't be right though because I had thought for a moment Misako was my mom. Misako and Garmadon were a couple. Alex and Lloyd were their kids. I must've hit my head too hard. How could I consider this?! My parents left me. I won't see them again.

"Garmadon's ready," Wu said.

"Okay," Misako said. She studied me for a moment, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Everything will be fine this time. I'll make sure of it."

I figured she meant she wouldn't let Pythor get me again. "Okay," I said.

She hesitated and got up. She walked out of the door, glancing at Wu before leaving. They were hiding something. If only I could read minds! Wu walked over to me and sat in a chair. He stared rummaging in the nightstand drawer, pulling out a small bottle. I covered my mouth with both hands.

"Echo," he sighed. "You have to take some Tylenol. It'll help."

"No!" I said, refusing to move my hands. "I hate medicine. Ms. Ceader always shoved it down our throats."

"I won't shove it down your throat, but you have to take it," Wu said.

"No way," I said. "My head doesn't even..." I winced. Yeah, way to jinx it. I mentally slapped myself.

"Uh, huh," Wu mumbled, hiding a smile. "You know, Alex and Lloyd acted just like this when they were little."

"You helped take care of them?" I asked, moving my hands slightly away from my mouth. It wasn't enough for Wu to get the Tylenol in my mouth.

Wu nodded. "We all lived in one monastery." He studied me for a moment. "Echo..." he started, but never got a chance to finish. A loud crash noise echoed outside.

I dropped my hands. "What was that?"

Wu didn't answer. He stuck the Tylenol in my mouth and clasped his hand over my mouth. "We'll go see what it was after you swallow it."

I mumbled under my breath and took the Tylenol. Then I swung my legs over the bed and Wu removed his hand. We slowly made our way to the door. He stood to one side and I stood to the other side. Wu pushed the door open and peered out. I felt like we we were playing army, but if it was Pythor than this was no game. He signaled for me to follow and we walked out onto the deck, standing back to back.

Dr. Julien ran out onto the deck, scaring me half to death. "What happened?" he asked.

"We don't know," Wu said.

"Maybe Pythor got on the ship," I suggested.

"That is a possiblity," Wu agreed.

"We should check around," Dr. Julien said. "But Alex is the only one who can see him."

"So there's no point in splitting up and searching. We'll check the cameras, try and find him with the thermal camera."

We ran up to the bridge. I sat down next to the wheel while Wu and Dr. Julien messed with the cameras. To think, just two days ago I was at the orphanage wishing for something to happen. Now I was trying to escape a mad snake that was out to force Ninjago underground. After a while, Dr. Julien and Wu looked to me. "Well he isn't here," Dr. Julien said. "We've tried every setting and there's no sign of him."

I nodded and looked down. I needed to stay calm and not get scared. If I did, Pythor would get his storm. Wu walked over to me. "Echo, let's go outside and take your mind off what's been happening," he suggested. "So your powers don't act up."

I wasn't sure how he knew about that, but I nodded and stood up anyways. I walked out of the bridge with Wu while Dr. Julien stayed behind. We walked down to the decks and Wu turned to me. "So what are we doing?" I asked.

"Would you like to play a game?" Wu asked me.

"Sure!" I exclaimed. "Let's play... Army base."

Wu smiled. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

><p>For an old man, Wu was excellent at army base. We played for five minutes, and we each won twice. I'd just about forgotten about what was happening. During the entire game, nothing abnormal happened. It was like I had a normal life.<p>

We were on round five, the tie breaker. I slowly snuck towards the mass. I glanced around the empty deck. I've learned that Wu was stealthy, quick, and clever. He could've came from anywhere, so to make it fair he hid his object, in this case an old scroll, in the same place. Right as I got to the mass, I felt gentle arms wrap around me. "Got you!" Wu said.

I squealed a little, giggling as he swung me and set me down away from the mass. For a quick moment, I once again saw Wu as my dad. I felt a strike of grief. I sighed and walked to the edge of the Bounty, sitting down. Wu walked over to me. "Wu," I said, looking up. "Do you think my parents will ever come back for me?"

Wu slowly sat down next to me. "I do not know," he replied. "Have you ever met your parents?"

"No," I mumbled. "They left me when I was a baby. Molly saw them when they dropped me off at the orphanage but... Well she'd know them if she saw them again."

Wu looked like he was trying to hold something back. He stared blankly at the ground below. Before I could ask what was wrong, something grabbed my legs and tried pulling me off the Bounty. I screamed and Wu grabbed my hands. "Hold on Echo," he told me.

I tried holding on, but whatever had my legs was strong. I felt myself slipping out of Wu's grasp. "Can't, hold on," I gasped.

"Yes you can," Wu insisted. "I can't lose you again."

I didn't have time to question what he said. I slipped and was pulled to the ground. I flipped back and landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me. As I tried to catch it, Pythor appeared leaning over me. "Thought you could get away, hmmm?" he asked. "Think again little girl."

I started to push myself up. "Pythor," I strained. "Just leave... me alone." I was still trying to catch my breath. Pythor grabbed my arm and hoisted me up. Wu jumped down and hit Pythor with his bamboo staff. Pythor dropped me and I caught myself.

"Leave here now," Wu ordered.

"I'm not leaving without the girl!" Pythor hissed.

I felt a cold breeze rush over me. I shivered, and next thing I knew, Zane was in front of me. Lloyd and Molly rushed to my side an helped me up. I wrapped my arms around Molly, and Lloyd looked a bit jealous. Molly pulled me back a little. "Let's go," she whispered to me. "The ninja will take care of it."

I nodded and backed away with Molly. The other ninja came into my view and started to attack Pythor. The snake hissed and vanished. "Cole, left sweep kick," Alex called, running to Cole's side.

Cole did a sweep kick and Pythor reappeared as he tumbled backwards. Alex knocked Pythor down and placed the tip of her blade to Pythor's neck. "Stop!" Pythor hissed at Alex.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you right here and now," Alex growled.

"Because, I... I know where he is!" Pythor said.

"Who?" Lloyd asked.

Pythor smirked. "It was to be a last resort, in case I got in this situation, but it's time to tell you." Misako and Garmadon each to mine and Molly's sides. "I know where Lucas is."

Alex looked like someone slapped her abruptly. She stared at Pythor for a moment, loosening her grip. Then she narrowed her eyes at him and gripped her sword tighter. "Liar!" she yelled. She really looked like she was going to kill Pythor for just saying the name, 'Lucas'.

Misako hurried over to Alex and put her hand on her shoulder. "Alex," I heard her whisper.

Alex pulled her sword away. "Leave now," she snapped. "Unless you want me to kill you."

Everyone watched in silence as Pythor vanished. For a moment I thought he'd come for me, but nothing happened after that. We all started boarding the Bounty. Garmadon invited Molly to stay the night since it was getting late. Alex didn't say anything as we laid in the girls' room. In fact it was silent.

Molly got sick of it and asked, "Does anyone want to hear a story?"

"Yes!" I replied, sitting up.

"I love stories!" Lillie cheered.

"Sure," Tove mumbled.

"I guess, eh," Vanessa said.

Alex said nothing.

"Okay, his story is about... Hmmm..." Molly closed her eyes. "How about the boy on the street?"

"I've never heard that one," I said. "Tell it!"

Molly smiled. "Okay, now this is a secret story. You can't repeat it to anyone!" We all promised not to, and Molly began her story.

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><p><strong>So the story will be in the next chapter. I wanted a cliff hanger... I hate them, so I assume you do too. Just be glad the chater didn't end with, "Echo summoned her strength, and the massive storm appeared." So review, no flaming. <strong>


	10. Chapter 9

**OMG! On Monday I went to an Ennio concert—he's a Spanish singer—and I got to talk to him, get my picture taken, and I got his autograph! Best day ever!**

**Guest: Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. I can't tell you who her parents are though. That would spoil my fun!**

**Luna Julien: I'm glad you like it!**

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><p>"It was about nine years ago, I was five. It was a warm Tuesday, only partly cloudy, but there was a chance of a lightning storm for the late afternoon," Molly said, her eyes closing so often to remember detail. "The wind was blowing to the east, just enough so it didn't seem too hot. It was candy selling season so my two roommates and I were out in our section of the city. Alisa decided to head into a house by herself, seven thirty-five Dale Drive, so she told Jamie to walk down the street with me a little and she agreed."<p>

"You remember all this?" Tove asked.

"Molly has almost perfect memory," I told her.

"Yes, now stop interupting," Molly chided. "Where was I... Ah yes! As we walked down the street, an older boy, say the age of sixteen or so, came running down the street. I'd never seen anyone older than fifteen so terrified. The boy had shaggy maroon hair, carmel colored eyes, pale skin almost the cover of milk, and his clothes... They were cut and shredded everywhere. The poor boy looked like he'd been beat."

I caught my breath. I'd been beaten a little before too. Molly pulled me closer to her to show it was all right. She shared my pain. Everyone at the orphanage did...

"He spotted Jamie and I and stopped. Jamie asked the boy if he needed help, she was the same age as him," Molly continued. "The boy just gasped, 'No! No I just need a message delivered! Please, you can't get caught in this!' By that point Jamie and I figured his parents were abusing him. I offered to call the police. He looked down at me, on the verge if tears. He said, 'That's not nessisary, brave one.' He handed Jamie a crumpled up piece if paper and took off a different direction."

"What happened to him?" Alex asked, the first thing she said since Pythor left.

"We don't know. Jamie had silently read the letter. She slid it in her pocket and we went to find the boy," Molly replied. "We didn't. After Jamie moved out, she passed the letter down to Alisa. She was adopted and passed the letter down to me. I read it but..." Her voice faltered.

"What did it say, eh?" Vanessa questioned.

Molly swallowed hard. "It was a message to his sister. He needed her help. I don't even know where the boy could be by now or if he's even still alive. None of us were able to find his sister either."

"Who's it addressed to?" Tove asked.

"Alexandra," Molly replied.

Alex's face darkened. She glared at her hands like she was mad at herself. I turned back to Molly. "Couldn't you have told a story with a happy ending?" I asked.

Molly pulled me close and whispered softly, "The boy who signed it... His name was Lucas."

I understood now why she told it. Pythor had mentioned a Lucas. I tried connecting the dots. Alex got mad when Pythor mentioned his name and said he couldn't know where Lucas was. Then she got mad at herself when she found out who the letter was to. Maybe Alexandra was... "May I see the letter?" Alex asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

Molly nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. She got up and walked over to Alex, handing her the letter. Alex stared at the letter like it was in a forein language. "Uh, the boy who wrote it must've been in a hurry," Molly said. "It took me a while to figure out exactly what he wrote."

Alex's expression didn't change. Adventually she sighed and put the letter in her nightstand. "We should get to sleep," she said.

Molly came back to the makeshift bed and laid down with me. I closed my eyes and immediately fell asleep.

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><p>We woke up and Alex was gone. Her bed was neatly made and she was gone. Tove walked into the room. "I can't find her!" she exclaimed. "She just disappeared! Well, not the way I do."<p>

"She has to be somewhere, eh!" Vanessa said.

I got up and walked over to Alex's nightstand. I opened he drawer. There was a flower with multicolored petals, a knife, a hair tie and an old ninja suit probably small enough for me. No letter. "She went to find the boy who wrote the letter," I told them. "It's gone too."

"What?" Molly questioned, a horrified look in her eyes. "Oh... Well maybe she's the one it was addressed for. Alex could be short for Alexandra."

"It is," Tove said. "I didn't think she'd just go off on her own though."

"That sure sounds like Alex to me," Lillie cut in.

"We have to go find her," Nya decided. "What did the letter say?"

"That some kid named Lucas was trapped in some kind of fort. Half of it wasn't really english. I couldn't disipher it," Molly said. "I just... I'm sorry I even brought it up."

"It's fine," Nya sighed. "Alex is smart, she'll be fine."

"What makes this Lucas guy so special?" Cole asked, standing in the door way.

I couldn't help but giggle. "What? You jealous?"

Cole's cheeks turn a bit red. "I don't know what you're talking about." The rest of us laughed. "What?" Cole demanded.

"Nothing," Lillie giggled. She cleared her throat. "Just stuff."

"I'm pretty sure Lucas is her brother," I said.

"Oh," Cole said, his face growing a brighter shade of red. "Of course."

We decided to let the matter drop. Alex was tough, she could handle a trip to a fort... A fort? Why did that seem wrong to me? Maybe Molly meant to say something else, but I trusted her word either way. We headed to the upper decks and Molly and I sat back as the ninja trained. I closed my eyes a little and dozed off for a moment.

Molly gentlely shook me. "Echo," she whispered. I opened my eyes to see the ninja still training. "We need to talk. I..." her voice faltered again. She took a deep breath. "The letter it..."

"Echo!" a voice called from the lower decks. It sounded like Misako.

"Can it wait?" I asked Molly.

Molly bit her lip for a moment. "I guess."

I stood up and headed down to the lower decks. I peeked into Misako and Garmadon's room, but no one was there. I looked into Wu's room, empty. I started down to hall and found another set of stairs. I walked down and looked around. "Hello?" I called.

"Over here, Echo!" Misako's voice called.

I walked down and started towards the voice. Suddenly, a woman walked out from behind the engine. It was definately not Misako. She had a black tattered dress, black high heels, long dirty blonde hair, and indigo eyes that glowed brightly. She smiled at me, a slight sparkle to her teeth. Her right leg had a few light marks on it, and she had a presence so powerful, even I was able to sense it.

"Echo," she said in Misako's voice then in a different voice added, "Nice to meet you."

I didn't know what to think about her. She didn't seem like an enemy to me. "Hi," I said. "So, who are you?"

The woman chuckled. "Well, my name is Kimberly, but I go by Kim."

I studied her for another moment. For a second, just a second, I thought she turned translucent. "Are you a ghost?" I impulsively asked.

The woman's smile grew. "A spirit, yes. A ghost? Heavens no! I do not haunt common people, I only speak with people who catch my eye. Young Echo, you wish to know more about your family, correct?"

I didn't know whether to trust her or not. If I could sense her presence, that couldn't be good. Yet, her voice was so welcoming and calm. Her smile was beautiful. "What do you know about my family?" I asked.

"Oh, everything!" she exclaimed with a twinkle in her indigo eyes. "In fact, I am your father's, mother's sister. Your great aunt."

I blinked. "R-really?" I questioned. "Are you allowed to tell me this stuff?"

Kim smiled. "No, but that's what makes it fun. I had to come now though because you're closer to your family than you've ever been; but I had to wait until _Alex_ was gone."

The way she said Alex's name gave me chills. Obviously she didn't like her. "What's wrong with Alex?" I asked.

"That know it all!" Kim snapped. "She thinks she can avoid my spirit forever! Even trying to break my curse!" I would've asked what she meant, but her hair turned as black as coal, and her eyes as red as rubies. I found myself frozen in place for a moment.

A rumble of thunder broke me from my stare. "Oh I... Uh..." I stuttered, looking up the stairs. A minute passed before light from the sun shown down the hall. "Oops..."

"Magnificit!" Kim exclaimed. I turned back to her. Her hair was blonde again and her eyes indigo. "It's truely something your powers! I can see it all now! So much destruction and terror." Her eyes glowed brightly.

I took a step back. "What? I don't want to use my powers. I don't want to cause any destruction!"

Kim turned her gaze to me, her eyes bright crimson. "Then... I'll help you. Yes, that's what I'll do!" Her eyes started turning blue as she spoke, and her hair was a lighter blonde. "Helping, yes. It's something I haven't done since I made the flute that drove the serpentine underground. Montgomery copied my design, turning the energy pure. I'll show him that I can help in an affective way."

"How can you help?" I asked.

Her dress now repaired itself. Her leg started to shimmer. She noticed this and tapped it with her hand. A dark veil covered it and it stopped shimmering. "I can help with my magic, dear girl," she said in a cheerful tone. "It's powerful magic, capable of anything. Flutes. That was only the beginning of my power. I shall rewrite destiny! I will take away your powers, give you a chance to be adopted, and that'll mend my sins. I can finally pass to the Spirit Realm!"

I stared at her. She'd be helping me, and in turn her good deed will let her spirit be free. It was a win-win. "Okay!" I smiled. "Let's do it!"

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><p><strong>That's the 10th chapter. So far... Yeah... To sum up what jut happened, Echo made a deal with a spirit. Someone guess what could go wrong! Review, no flaming. <strong>


	11. Chapter 10

**Luna Julien: I'm updating!**

**Guest: Uh... Well, Alex and Lucas are siblings.**

**ZombieKiller2.0: I love the name you picked... I hate the grammar and spelling errors in your review... And further more; WHO TOLD YOU?**

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><p>Kim flicked her wrists, causing candles to appear in a circle. The door to the lower decks slammed shut, and a drawling appeared in the floor. Under the candles a black circle appeared. Through the circle was a white star. Every second this happened, Kim changed. Her skin became smooth and light tan, her hair became light blonde and full of life, and her eyes became a beautiful shade of ocean blue. Her dress shifted and became ankle length, her heels became polished and shined. It was like just the idea of helping someone was cleansing her.<p>

As Kim lowered herself to a sitting position on her knees, she sighed with passion. "Echo, you are doing a grand favor by allowing me to help you," she said. "Most people believe powerful magic is dark, and they refuse my help."

I sat down across from her in the circle. "You're welcome," I told her. "I don't believe any kind of magic is dark or evil. It is the one who uses the magic that decides that. Thank you for offering your help."

Kim closed her eyes for a moment. "Now, concentrate on your powers. You must picture yourself beneath a storm created by you," she instructed. "Then imagine it leaving your body."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I imagined myself in Ninjago City, with the lightning snow-nado. It was so real, I could feel the Bounty shaking. I hoped I wasn't actually making it. I let it fade. It disappeared, leaving me with a feeling of exhaustion. My eyes snapped opened and fell forward.

Kim was glowing brightly. The light faded and she opened her eyes. "Yes," she whispered. "I feel it. Echo, you've helped me get my revenge and clear my sins." She began to fade. "And have given me the best gift of all." She vanished.

I felt my lungs burning. My muscles ached. My head was spinning. My vision blurred. Everything felt weak. I forced myself up and to walk back to the upper decks. I started to the upper decks when my legs buckled. Next thing I knew, Molly was next to me, helping me stand. I heard a ringing in my ears and even though Molly's mouth was moving, I heard nothing.

The ninja ran down to the lower decks. Jay knelt down next to me. I wasn't sure what I expected, but I no longer felt comfortable by him. Maybe because he was he Ninja of Lightning and my powers were storm so it felt right next to him. Now it didn't.

Zane knelt down by me. I felt no cold. Even with Kai by the door, far enough to not cancel out the cold, I felt nothing. My powers affected more than I ever realized.

On the bright side, I still felt safe as Lloyd placed his hand on my shoulder. It made me wonder...

"Alex!" a voice yelled. The ninja all turned to the door. My hearing was coming back, the yelling was so loud.

"Cole? Is Alex back?" Lloyd called out.

There was no answer. I forced myself to catch my balance again and we all ran out to the upper decks. I hurried to the edge where I could see Alex on the ground and Cole by her side. The others slipped off the Bounty. Molly and I exchanged looks before following.

"Alex, what happened?" Kai demanded as Molly and approached.

"He wasn't there," Alex said dryly. "G-gone. Then... I felt weak." She tried pushing herself up, Cole taking her by he hand to help her up.

Tove's eyes began to glow and mist swirled around her. The mist vanished and she turned to me. "What did you do?" she growled.

"Nothing," I said. "I just wanted them gone."

"Wanted what gone?" Jay asked.

Molly pulled me close as all the ninja looked to me. Even Alex lifted her head. "You can't blame her," Molly snapped at them.

"No, 'cause _you_ made a fake letter. Did Lucas even come the the Overworld?" Alex asked, anger in her eyes.

I looked to Molly. She gave me a look that seemed to say, _That is what I wanted to tell you._ She looked to Alex. "I'm sorry," she said. "Pythor made me. That letter may be fake, but Lucas really did run into us. Jamie has the letter."

"But that isn't important now," Lloyd inturrupted. He knelt down next to Alex and helped Cole help her up. "Alex, you need rest."

"That won't help," Tove snapped. "Half of her spirit is gone!"

"You mean Kim," Alex mumbled. "She can't be gone, it's impossible."

I felt my heart drop. I'd done this to Alex. Molly and I both did. I took a step back. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. I turned and took off. I didn't slow down until I reached the woods. By then I was sobbing. I never meant for any of this to happen. I looked back, expecting Molly to follow. She didn't. Not even Lloyd had come after me. I sniffled and looked down the path. It was the obvious path, so I darted through the thick briars to my right. My legs got cut, part of my shirt was ripped, and my shorts got caught a few times. I didn't care, I kept running.

I slowed down and lost my strength in a small clearing. I stumbled to my knees, scraping them on the hard ground. I covered my face with my hands and cried. All of this was my fault! I should've known better than to talk to a ghost. "Stupid ghost!" I mumbled.

"We prefer the term spirit," a voice said. I looked up and saw a woman, similar to Kim, but different. Her hair was curled and her skin was pale. Her blue eyes were lighter and she wore a long, flowing, pink dress. "Though if you are referring to my sister, ghost isn't even close. She should be a skeleton in the Underworld for using dark magic."

_Not dark, powerful,_ I thought silently to myself. I slowly stood up. "You're her sister? My grandmother?"

"Is that what she told you?" the woman asked. "Kimberly needs to abide the Laws of the Universe!"

"But it's true. So why wouldn't she be allowed to tell me?" I asked.

"My child, spirits as powerful as us are not to interfer with the lives of mortals. That means telling them things they need to learn themselves," she told me. "Kimberly does not care about this. She was corrupted long ago by _Haō_."

I frowned. "Who?"

The woman smiled, a warm presence washed over me. "A name I forbid myself from saying in English. The language is ancient."

"Oh... So who are you?" I asked.

The woman hesitated, studying me. "I am Shirra, but you must swear not to say my name. It would be dangerous if you were to say it around my son."

"And your son is...?" I pressed.

She chuckled in a welcoming voice. "It is not the time for that," she said. "No, not yet. Right now you must go back to the ninja."

"Back? I can't!" I insisted. "I gave up my powers and Kim's spirit left Alex, whatever that means! It hurt her, and Pythor won't even be after me without my powers so I don't need their protection! I can't go back!" I felt myself on the verge of tears again.

Shirra knelt down to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Echo, you are needed. By the Laws I cannot begin to tell you why. You must trust this though. Elemental Powers cannot be destroyed. Remember this."

"I..." I caught by breath as I heard a voice.

"Go back," Shirra pleaded.

I backed away from her. I looked over my shoulder. "Echo!" Lloyd's voice called.

"Echo, please come here!" Molly's voice followed.

"You have a choice to make," Shirra said, standing straight up. "Choose wisely." She faded away.

I turned to where the voices came from. I took another glance around the clearing. There was a path behind me, a few more briared paths to my left and right, and then the place I came from. Four paths. I had to choose one.

"I think she's this way," I heard Molly say.

"Let's hurry, something's not right here," Lloyd told her.

I turned to my left and ran through the briars. I know Shirra said to go back, but I couldn't. I felt guilty enough, I couldn't face Lloyd now knowing I harmed his sister, and Molly... Well as much as I wanted to talk to her, she'd betrayed us. She was helping Pythor. I wasn't sure if I could forgive her.

I stumbled over my feet, and as I fell forward someone caught me. I looked up to see Jay. "I won't leave you behind either," he said softly, kneeling down.

I collapsed into Jay's arms and sobbed. "I'm sorry," I whimpered. "I didn't mean to hurt Alex."

"Shh, it's okay," Jay said, rubbing my back. "You didn't know, but it will be okay."

"How can you be so sure?" I sniffled.

"To be honest, I don't... But after things go wrong, they usually start going right for us," he told me.

I closed my eyes. Jay seemed so confident. I heard footsteps behind me and pushed away from Jay in a panic. "I can't go back, Jay," I whispered. "I need to be on my own for a while."

"Echo, we're not mad," Jay said.

"That's not it, I want to be alone for once in my life. I can't be around others. There's somehing I have to do," I told him, trying to get him to understand. "Don't tell them you found me, but tell them to stop searching."

Jay clenched his jaw. He stared at the ground in front of him. "Fine," he finally said. "Do what you have to and come back."

"Thank you," I said softly. I gave Jay one last hug and took off to my right. I had a plan to try and fix everything, I just needed to have time to myself first. Hopefully, I wasn't making a mistake.

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><p><strong>I've never felt so committed to a story in my life! Except The Pink Ninja... That was a pretty epic story! Review but please don't flame! ;)<strong>


	12. Chapter 11

**Update! Yay! First I'd like to say a thank you to everyone who has actually read the story and read my weekly updates and stayed with me even when I'm late updating. I'd also like to ask if you could just click my name to go to my profile and then vote on my poll! Now for replies to reviews!**

**Luna Julien: Yeah... There are a few times I'm thinking poor Echo. Sometimes I feel so cruel. **

**Guest: I love how you ask so many questions even though you know I can't answer them. It's nice to know you're curious. **

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><p>It was around sunset when I got to the orphanage. That was only better for me. I looked around for a way onto the balcony. It lead right into the really fancy room. There was one way in, but it seemed like a crazy idea. Well the last few days have been nothing but crazy! I ran into the alleyway and started up the fire escape. I hoped no one heard me, I mean, nothing's more noticeable than a seven year old climbing up the fire escape at sunset. If you think otherwise, you obviously haven't been to Ninjago City. Nothing much happens here, especially by the orphanage.<p>

I reached the top and slowly climbed onto railing. After about five minutes, I finally had the courage to stand up straight. I looked to the roof and took a deep breath. I jumped and grabbed onto the edge of the roof. I pushed myself up and stumbled onto the top of the roof. I laid on the roof for a moment, still a bit surprise I did what I did. I thought I would've backed down before I even got on the railing.

I got up and walked over to the edge and looked down at the balcony. It was about six feet below, maybe seven. That was my idea. Jump off of the edge of the roof. Like I said, it was a crazy idea. I took a deep breath and sat on he edge of the roof. "Shirra," I mumbled. "If you can help at all, please help me not break my leg." I sighed heavily and slid off he roof.

As I touched the balcony, I immeadiatly shifted my weight to the leg that didn't touch down first. I slowly set my weight back on my other leg. It wasn't broken! Another surprise! I turned to the door where Ginger was already standing. "Oh look who's back," she said in a mocking tone. "How'd the meeting with the snake guy go?"

"Uh, it wasn't a meeting, he was trying to kidnap me," I corrected her, wondering what goes on in her head to make even think that.

"Same difference," Ginger muttered. "What do you want? I'm in the middle of something."

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"Ruling an orphanage," Ginger smirked. "So what is it you need?"

"Your help," I told her.

"I don't help."

"Well you do now."

"Why should I?"

"Because I still haven't told anyone about your..."

"Shush! Fine I'll help you!"

I smiled in satisfaction. "Okay, good. Now that we are on the subject of your powers..."

Ginger sighed in annoyance. "Who are you looking for? Molly? Not helping you there."

"No, I'm looking for a spirit, Kimberly. She's not an ordinary spirit though, she has a human presence, and it's strong," I explained.

Ginger thought for a moment. Her purple eyes glowed brightly for a second. "Kimberly, a darker spirit. She, uh, well she... Never mind. The point is, I only have a general idea of where she is. Someone is masking her presence."

"Okay, where is she?" I asked.

"Dark Forest, it actually might be the forest itself that's masking her, but there was another presence. A dangerous one. Echo, just be careful," Ginger said.

I blinked. "Did you just show concern?"

"What? To you?" she gasped. "How dare you think something like that!"

"It's fine. Just another secret I won't tell," I assured her.

Ginger spun around. "I don't care what happens to you. In fact if you happened to die in a forest so full of evil..." She chuckled. "Oh who am I kidding? You're dumb and shy, but not an idiot. You'll be fine." She started inside. "Maybe." She closed the door behind her.

I'm not sure what she was trying to get at, but I guess she helped me. Next challenge: Getting off the balcony without breaking my leg...

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><p>I safely made it out of the city and towards the Dark Forest. I only knew where it was because Nicole, one of Ginger's roommates, was into dark stuff. When she wrote a report on the Dark Island, Molly, Cindy, and I were forced volenteers to listen to it. Trust me, I knew where I was going.<p>

As I walked, I watched the stars above. Molly was probably worrying her head off, but I had to do this. I messed up Alex, now I needed to fix her. The stars disappeared as I entered another forset. Birchwood Forest. Usually I was sensitive to the cold, but now that my powers were gone, it was just cold. Sure, going into the woods with a tee shirt and shorts on wasn't the best idea, but it was too big to go around. Every second counted.

About halfway through, I heard a twig break. I was tired and cold and a little jumpy. I pulled my kunai and spun to the source of the noise. "H-h-hello?" I stuttered.

A man appeared. He had a bamboo hat that covered his face, a grey kimono, and he carried a bamboo staff like Wu. "Hello, Echo. What're you doing out here? You'll catch a cold! Follow me, I can help."

I was left with an option. Listen to the complete stranger or freeze to death. Which would you choose? His voice seemed kind, and as he spoke I felt a little warmer. "Okay," I said. The man started down a seperate path and I followed him. He led me to a tree. Now before you laugh or think too lightly of it, the tree had a door. We walked inside and I felt a little warmed. The man grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around me as he shut the door. We walked down the stairs, and I looked around.

It was a lovely home in my opinion. It had a few tables, blueprints scattered everywhere, and a few inventions. I glanced at one blueprint as I passed it. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things. The blueprint design looked like Zane, but that couldn't be right.

"Take a seat," the man said. "My name is Montgomery, by the way."

I sat down on a chair and wrapped the blanket tightly around me. "Is this your home?" I asked.

"No, it's Dr. Julien's, but he doesn't use it anymore," Montgomery replied. I had a second to think that over. Zane said Dr. Julien was his father and there were blueprints of Zane... I decided I didn't need to know. "So why were you out in Birchwood forest, in the middle of the night, and with short sleeves and shorts on?" Montgomery continued.

"Uh... I was looking for someone," I told him. "Maybe you can help me. Do you know Kim?"

Montgomery lowered his head, hiding even more of his face with his bamboo hat. "Why would you go looking for her?" he asked. "She's nothing but trouble."

I looked at my lap. "Yeah, I realize that," I said, now feeling even more guilty about it. "Though I didn't know until the damage to Alex..." My voice faltered.

"Alex?" Montgomery asked. He had looked up, his brown eyes filled with concern. "What happened to her?"

Obviously they'd met before. I could tell by the way he asked. "Well... Kim said something about being able to move to the Spirit Realm. I guess it made her weak... Alex I mean..."

"I should've known. Shirra was right when she said her sister was up to no good, again," Montgomery mumbled.

"Wait... You know Shirra and Kim? Are you a spirit too?" I questioned.

Montgomery gloomily nodded. "Yes, and what you are attempting is extremely dangerous. You should just turn back and let the ninja handle it."

I stared at him and stood up. "No! I'm not sitting back and letting others fight my battle! I've done that enough. And it's my fault, so I need to fix it."

"Echo..."

"I don't care that I'm not even eight yet! It's my mission," I insisted. "You can't stop me from doing it." I stormed out of the tree, with the blanket, and started back through the forest. I wasn't about to let anyone stop me. Though, I found it odd that both he and Shirra were trying to stop me. They weren't even suppose to interfer.

I slowed down as I left the forest. I scaled down a small, steep hill. When I got to the bottom I saw it. The Dark Forest was less than a mile of flat, grassy, ground away. I smiled and allowed myself to collapse to the ground. Even from here I could feel the darkness the forest forced off. I laid down and covered myself with the blanket. I needed all my strength for this. I closed my eyes, and I drifted into a soundless sleep.

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><p><strong>It literally took weeks to right that. I got writers block after "They weren't even suppose to interfer." Anyway! Did you know Dora is very destructive? She knocks down the fourth wall every day! I'd hate to be the one who has to rebuild that wall everyday. <strong>


	13. Chapter 12

**Guest: I will spoil nothing. **

**Luna Julien: I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully you'll like this one even more. **

**Onward!**

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><p>My eyes fluttered open as the warm sun touched my skin. I yawned and sat up. My eyes darted over to the Dark Forest. I took a deep breath and got up, wrapping the blanket around me. As I got closer to the forest, I noticed there was no life. All the plants were dead and dark. It didn't make a single sound, and the birds seemed to know not to fly directly over top of it. It gave me shutters just thinking about how lifeless it was inside.<p>

I stopped as I reached the edge. I slowly moved my hand inside of the forest. Nothing happened. I started walking into it. Nothing happened. For a moment, I thought Nicole was wrong about the forest being able to turn someone evil. Then I felt a fast wind surround me for a brief second. The tempature dropped ten degrees and everything became darker.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to keep walking. I looked around for a moment. "Kim!" I called. Another rush of wind surrounded me again. I shivered, but I kept moving. "Kim, I know you're here!"

Kim walked out from behind a tree. Her hair was the darkest shade of black imaginable, her skin was deathly pale, and her eyes were crimson again. "Echo!" she said in a cheerful voice. "So nice to see you! I didn't think you'd actually come into this forbidden place."

"I'm not afraid," I told her simply. "There's nothing to be afraid of here."

"Really? The dark energy here doesn't bother you?" she questioned.

"It's not dark," I said. "It's just powerful. I'm not afraid of anything powerful."

"You should be," a voice hissed.

I looked around, but there was nothing around. It had to be the forest trying to trick me. It was said to have mystical properties. I shrugged it off, Kim didn't seem to hear it. "You never said you were attached to Alex's spirit," I said.

Kim smirked. "It didn't seem important. That girl has caused enough trouble. Her being this weak is better in the long run."

I shook my head. "Kim, fix Alex," I demanded, wrapping the blanket tighter around me. "Now."

Kim's eyes seemed to glow brighter. "You dare order me! A meer child thinks she can boss me around?!" She turned her gaze to the sky before adding, "How would you feel if she was talking to you?!"

I blinked and for a second I thought there was an orb in the air. It disappeared and I rubbed my eyes. I turned back to Kim. "Uh, who are you talking to?"

"Never mind that!" she yelled. "You ungrateful child! I did you a favor and now you think you can order me around?!"

"I helped you too!" I reminded her.

Kim chuckled. "Yes! You helped me become the most powerful spirit in Ninjago!" She paused and rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, second most powerful. Same difference!"

I wasn't sure who she was talking to. I didn't really want to know either. Another gust of wind surrounded me for a moment. I shook it off. "Just please help Alex!" I cried out.

Kim glared at me with her crimson eyes. "I have a better idea. Why don't I just end you right now? Then you won't have to feel so guilty!" There was another pause. "Well I see your point. Her spirit would be trapped in Ninjago. She will neither go to the Spirit Realm or Underworld. It'll attach itself to something..."

I pulled out my kunai. I put it up and let the blanket fall to the ground. "I'm not afraid to use this."

"Of course you're not, but soon you'll be afraid to move," Kim smiled. Suddenly she lifted off the ground and the wind around us picked up. It became darker and rain started to fall. It froze until it was snow. Lightning cracked across the sky and the clouds started to shift.

I backed up slightly. She was making the lightning snow-nado. I dropped the kunai and stared at her in disbelief. Elemental powers cannot be destroyed. This is what Shirra meant. My powers weren't gone, they were just transferred to Kim. I picked my kunai back up and stood my ground. "Shirra warned me of this. I'm ready now," I said.

Kim glared at me. "My sister? She spoke with you?!" she shrieked. "That... That..." She paused again. "Exactly!"

I watched Kim for a moment. The storm around us got stronger. I silently wished I was still in control of it. Another gust of wind shot at me, knocking me down. The kunai fell out of my hand and I landed on the blanket. I just got lucky there. I looked up at Kim and once again a purple orb flashed by her.

"Finally!" a voice hissed. It was the same one as last time. "For a moment I though she was immune."

"Please," Kim said. "The force is as strong as dark matter. Not even that pathetic pink ninja could be immuned."

I realized whatever the orb was, that's what Kim was talking to. I looked towards my kunai. I quickly went to grab it, but the wind took it right from m grasp. I felt a force keeping me from moving. I was stuck, reaching for the kunai that was no longer there, and in the middle of a major storm. "What's...?"

"Naturally your body is fighting the darkness," Kim told me. "It shouldn't take long before it takes over fully. Then maybe I'll give you your powers and hand you over to Pythor."

I definately didn't want that. Then all of this would've been for nothing. I couldn't allow myself to be Pythor's pawn. I forced my arm to pull back, and my legs to lift me, and my eyes to see the orb of light. It worked. I could see him slightly better. As I studied him more, a single word escaped my lips. "Haō." I didn't one how I knew, or why I even said anything.

"You used my ancient name? I assume Shirra told you then," Haō guessed.

"Yeah," I managed to say. "She said she forbid herself from saying it in English."

"Not surprising," Kim mumbled as she fell back to the ground. "Anyway! The darkness has almost completely gone through out your body."

I'd hate to admit, she was right. Blackness started to cloud my vision. _Molly,_ I thought. _Help!_

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><p><strong>Is this a short chapter? Well, it doesn't matter. The story is far from over! I'm thinking maybe 30 chapters. 25? Hmmm... 25-30 chapters. Maybe more... I haven't decided yet! There's still so much left to do! We still have Pythor out there, Echo's about to turn evil, and more spoilers that I won't mention by name so I guess it's not really a spoiler! Review! No flames!<strong>

**(I'm sure all of you have heard about the tornados in the South. So I ask that you take a moment of silence for the victims of the deadly weather. Thank you.)**


	14. Chapter 13

**We are 70% through the story. Isn't this great?! YES IT IS! Wait... No it's not... It's almost over.**

**Luna Julien: That story was very... Interesting. I like it though, messed up is my middle name... Actaully it's Crazy... It's a family name...**

**Guest: Yes. No. Read and find out... Mwhahahaha!**

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><p>I opened my eyes and saw Lloyd. We weren't in the Dark Forest anymore. I wasn't sure where we were. "Where are we?" I asked.<p>

"We had to get you away from the Dark Forest," Zane replied.

"Echo what were you doing out there?!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"I went to talk to Kim," I said. "But..." I sat up and felt a surge of pain causing me to winced.

"Take it easy kid," Kai told me. "You need rest."

That was the moment I realized I was back on the Bounty. I looked around and noticed all the ninja were there. Even Alex was up and standing in the corner, using the walls to keep her up. Nya was standing by her, but Molly wasn't around. I guessed she was sent back to the orphanage or something.

"Um, Alex I'm really sorry," I said.

Alex weakly smiled at me. "You didn't know. I've never personally met Kim, but I know she's good at manipulating people. It wasn't your fault."

I didn't want to argue with her. She seemed like a determined person, and she would keep arguing with me to make me feel better. She was in no condition to do that though, so I decided not to say anything else. I remembered my kunai. My hands went to my pockets. It was gone.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked.

"The kunai Wu gave me is gone," I replied. I don't know why but I felt like it was a big deal. Even though a part of me was saying, 'It's just a knife.'

"It's fine," Cole told me. "Sensei has plenty if you ask me."

"Too many in my opinion," Alex mumbled.

Nya kinda rolled her eyes. "Alex, I really think you should be in bed," she told her.

"And I really think you guys are overreacting," Alex said. "I'm perfectly capable of not pushing myself."

"Right," Tove scoffed. "'Cause you've never actually pushed yourself."

Lillie frowned. "Yeah she has."

"It was sarcasm, eh," Vanessa said softly.

"Misako wait!" a voice called.

Misako suddenly appeared at the doorway. She smiled, ran into the room, to the bed, and wrapped her arms around me. "I'm so glad you're safe, Echo," she breathed. Misako cared for me so much, and she hardly even knew me. I wanted to cry, but I held the tears back and wrapped my arms around her for a moment. She pulled back and studied me for a moment.

"Hey, Mom," Alex said, causing Misako to turn to her. "Can we talk... alone?" Misako nodded, and she and Alex made their way out of the room.

"Where's Molly?" I asked. "Did you send her back to the orphanage?"

"Actually Garmadon is watching her," Tove replied. "After what happened, Alex didn't really trust her to stay or leave."

I looked down. Was I even ready to forgive her? She'd never done something like that before. "Uh, how did you guys know I was in the Dark Forest?" I asked.

"Well, Molly she... um..." Jay started. "She said something about you being in danger in woods and that everything around you was dead."

"Sensei knew it was the Dark forest," Kai added. "He sent us to go get you."

I nodded. A moment later Alex came back in, she looked like she could use some rest. No one told her though, knowing that she most likely would start an arguement. "So..." she started.

"Alex," Lloyd inturrupted. "Just go lay down."

Alex looked like she was about to argue, but she only sighed in annoyance. "Fine... Echo, mind giving me a hand?"

A Tove, Vanessa, and Nya gave Alex weird looks, the guys just turned to me, and Lillie's mind seemed elsewhere. "Um... Sure," I said, getting out of the bed. I walked over to Alex and we started to the lower decks. Another surge of pain shot through me and I paused for a brief second. I started wondering if it was because of the evil forces from the Dark Forest.

Alex placed her hand on my shoulder. "Oh, you'll be fine," she assured me. "I can't sense any evil in you. There's a chance you weren't in the forest as long as we thought."

"Did you come with them to get me?" As soon as I asked, I felt like an idiot.

"I tried, but Mom thought it was 'dangerous' since I'm 'weakened'," Alex replied, adding air quotes around _dangerous_ and _weakened_. "I think I'm fine though. I've been getting a little stronger than I was when it first happened."

Impulsively, I mumbled, "Sorry."

"Will you stop that?!" Alex snapped in a way I wasn't expecting. "Echo none of this was your fault!" She gave a look, the same one I kept seeing with Wu and Misako. It was like she wanted to keep talking, but she couldn't get the words out.

"Okay," I said. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes," Alex frowned. "Unfortunately I can't talk about it. Not yet at least." Her hand went to her side and she pulled a dagger out if nowhere. She began spinning it in her hand. She stumbled slightly but caught herself before I could even react.

"How long did you say you've trained to be a ninja?" I asked.

"Since I was five," Alex replied. "But I couldn't use the training course until I was..."

"Eight?" I guessed. "Like everything else!"

Alex chuckled. We walked into the girls' room and Alex sat on her bed. "Trust me Echo. Things should be turning for the better soon," she said with a smile. She froze and glanced around. "Someone's here. They're not suppose to be."

I turned and looked to the door, slowly backing up to Alex. "Is it Haō?" I asked.

"Echo," Alex chided. "Don't say his name, ancient language or not."

"Oh," I mumbled.

"It's not him," Alex said. "I'd be able to sense evil. I sense no evil. Though... I can sense worry."

I ran out of the room, ignoring Alex who called me to stay back. I walked out onto the upper decks and saw Ginger. She turned to me and smirked. "Oh, so you didn't die or get turned evil," she said. "What a shame."

I crossed my arms. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"After I traced you to the Dark Forest I decided to give you twenty four hours. Then I tracked you to here," she replied. "Though I figured there'd be something wrong with you."

I paused and said, "Don't hide it, you were concerned for me. Alex said she sensed your worry."

Ginger stared at me. "I'm not worried about you. If anything _you_ should be worried about _me_. Who knows what Ms. Ceader would do if she found out I came here!"

"Uh, nothing," I told her. "She could care less about what you do."

Ginger smiled as if that made her day. "Yeah, I know!"

Alex had finally made her way to the upper decks. Her mask was over her face and she had her swords ready. "Who's this?" she asked.

"You don't know who I am?" Ginger questioned.

I rolled my eyes. "This is Ginger," I said. "Ginger this is the pink ninja."

"Obviously," Ginger mumbled.

"Okay, why is she here?" Alex asked.

Ginger sighed and said, "I'm here to see Molly, my sister."

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><p><strong>So! What do you think? I know, it's another short chapter! To be fair that one chapter was over 2,000 words! That's a lot considering the others are only 1,500 words on average. So did the end of this chapter shock you in any way? It shocked me and I wrote it! Review. No flaming because I'm not a huge Kai fan... Seriously though, please don't flame me.<strong>

**(Ever want to be a ninja? Well join the Ninjago Ninja! [ .com] Role play with others and the original ninja! [Please don't start to role play until your character is accepted.])**


	15. Chapter 14

**I'm sorry it's so late right now. I was going to post earlier but the storm outside my window is messing with my wifi. So I'll answer the reviews and then we'll get started with the chapter! **

**Luna Julien: Thanks!**

**Guest: Well of course! I'm working on it right now!**

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><p>Alex and I sat outside of the girls' room while Molly and Ginger talked. I couldn't hear them, but at some point Ginger yelled, "Molly, just listen to me for once in your life!" At some point the ninja came down, but Alex told them to not worry and we'll be up when they're done talking.<p>

Alex looked to me. "Molly never mentioned she had a sister and you didn't either. How come?"

"I didn't even know until a few moments ago," I said. "I assume she didn't know, but she might've and just didn't say anything."

Alex shrugged. "Well, I know somethings aren't worth talking about. Maybe Molly didn't think it was important."

"Maybe," I mumbled. "Is that one secret not worth talking about?"

"What secret?"

"The one you, Misako, and Wu are keeping," I said. "You seem to want to talk about it, but you said it wasn't time. When is the time?"

"Echo," Alex sighed. "Somethings are very complicated. The time to share the secret... My mom thinks never, my uncle agreed with her a little, and I however think as soon as this is all over."

"Why doesn't Misako and Wu want to share it?" I questioned.

Alex chuckled. "I'm not sure I asked as many questions as you when I was seven... maybe because I had no one to ask... but I know you ask way too many questions."

"I don't ask that many," I said.

"No, I'm sure you do," Alex told me. "Lloyd didn't even ask as many questions as you... wait, I think I'm connecting the dots. You love school, and you never stop asking questions... Echo what does the word hippopata-monstrousous-quippedallio-phobia mean?" She took her time pronouncing the word.

I didn't know why she was asking. The next thing that came out of my mouth surprised me as much as it surprised her. "That's easy," I said. "It's the fear of long words. Kinda ironic if you ask me, being such a long word."

Alex stared at me in disbelief. "I can't believe this!" she smiled. "Wow, just, wow."

"What?" I questioned.

"Nothing, I just know I didn't believe..." She hesitated. "My dad when he said hippopatamonstrousousquippedalliophobia was a word. I thought he was pulling my leg."

I looked down at my lap. "Yeah, well I may be smart when it comes to academics, but everything else is a big blank..."

"Like how your powers work," Alex said. She pulled out a small knife and twirled it in her hand. "That's why you wanted them gone."

"Can you blame me?" I asked. "I bet even you can't guess how to use them."

Alex chuckled. "I firgured they're the same as any other powers." She stopped spinning the knife and held it in front of her. It began to glow white. "It's all about control. You have to control them before they control you."

"And how am I suppose to do that?" I questioned.

"It's hard to explain," Alex said. "It requires a lot of focus. Even with powers as easy to control as mine, it still takes practice. The more you resist it"—the knife glowed brighter—"the more it fights back. The more you ignore it, the more it tries to take control and act on it's own. You have to take control of your powers"—the glow dimmed slightly—"before you can truely use them for good."

I stared at the knife. Maybe Alex was right... Okay, she _was_ right. The glow from the knife faded and Alex leaned backwards. I thought about it for a moment. How could my powers be used for good? I create storms. Storms cause destruction. Nothing good can come from it!

_Good can come from even the most dangerous of powers,_ a voice said. I looked around, only to realize the voice came from in my head.

_Who's there?_ I questioned silently.

There was no response. That was really weird. I looked back to Alex. "Um, did you say something?" I asked.

Alex looked to me, she seemed to be holding back tears. "No one _said_ anything," she replied. "But I did hear someone. I always hear his voice for some reason." She stared ahead.

I was about to ask what she meant when the door opened. I immediately stood up, and I put my hand down for Alex. She took it and I helped her stand. I looked back to Molly, her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying. "Echo, I'm leaving," she said. "I... er, we..."

"Our aunt and uncle came back for us," Ginger finished for her. "We're going with them."

I felt something break inside of me. "You can't leave," I whimpered. "Then I'll be alone." Even when Pythor was after me, I knew Molly would always be there when it was over. Now she was leaving me, just like everyone else!

"And I don't want to leave you," Molly said. "But I have to." It was quiet for a moment. Molly turned to Alex and said, "Alex, please promise me you'll take care of Echo."

"Okay," Alex said.

"No, you have to swear you'll never leave her alone or forget her," Molly sternly said. "Ever!"

"I swear," Alex said. "Cross my heart and hope to die." She crossed over her heart with her finger. Molly still looked unsure. Alex leaned closer and whispered something that I didn't hear.

Molly nodded. "Okay, I believe you. Come on, Ginger."

"Call me sis," Ginger smirked.

Molly shook her head. "Not gonna happen." She knelt down to me and gave me a hug. "I'll miss you, Echo."

"I'm gonna miss you too," I said, feeling tears rush down my face. "P-promise you'll visit."

"I promise," Molly whispered. She stood back up and her and Ginger left.

I sat back against the wall. "I can't believe this..." I mumbled.

Alex sat down next to me. "Echo, I promise, you'll fine your family too," she said.

"I don't wanna find my family!" I yelled, standing back up. "They left me. I don't care anymore! I just wanna go back to my normal life."

Alex stayed sitting on the floor. "Echo, I know you don't mean that," she said calmly. "Please tell me you don't mean that." She had a pained look in her eyes.

I sat back down and buried my face in my knees. "I do!" I cried. "Everyone I ever knew left me. My family, my only friend, and you guys will to. I know you will!"

Alex pulled me into a hug. "I will never leave you," she whispered. "I swore, and I live by my own code. Never leave anyone behind. No matter what." Her voice cracked a little.

I sniffled. "Did you ever lose your family?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, but I worked hard to bring them back together. It wasn't easy either. In fact my work still isn't done, but I'm not giving up. I can't."

I sighed. "Then... I won't give up on mine."

Alex hugged me tighter for a moment. She looked up and a moment later Lloyd walked into the hallway. "Yeah?" Alex asked, clearly annoyed.

"You guys might want to see this," he said. "Zane's falcon found something you're not gonna like."

"Oh? What would that be?" Alex asked.

Lloyd hesitated. "The Overlord."

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><p><strong>Dun, dun, DUN! ...That's all I have to say... Review! Don't flame.<strong>

**Echo: Unless you're Kai.**

**Alex: Yeah, Hothead flames all the time.**

**Stop, knocking down the fourth wall! I have to rebuild that now...**


	16. Chapter 15

**Guest: I know, YAY!**

**Time for something I've always wanted to do... I came in like a wrecking ball! *breaks down fourth wall***

**Echo: Yay!**

**Alex: Finally!**

**Lloyd: Oh, I didn't know we were doing this again. **

**Cole: Hey, Morgan!**

***rebuilds fourth wall* I'll leave them aside for something else... Mwhahahaha!**

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><p>We hurried to the bridge. The monitor showed a purple orb. Haō, or I guess the Overlord. Kim was walking beside him, her crimson eyes glowing brightly. Garmadon looked angry, and Misako was trying to keep him calm. Alex's eyes widened when she saw them. "This is literally the definition of impossible," she breathed. "I know Kim worked for the Overlord, but she shouldn't be able to help now!"<p>

"Kim, as in the other part of your spirit," Cole mumbled. "She's actually evil? I thought you guys were pulling my leg, I mean because your..."

"So not evil? Yeah, I get that a lot," Alex said sarcastically. "It was balanced with a pure heart. Please don't ask any questions or make any remarks, Kai."

"We're not sure where they're heading," Zane said. "But we assume it's towards Ouruborus."

"Obourus?" I questioned.

"Ouruborus," Zane answered. "It's where the serpentine lived before they vanished."

"Well that can't be good," Lillie said.

"It's not," Tove agreed. "The question is, why?"

"Who cares?" Alex asked. "Let's just go stop them."

"Alex, you can't fight," Nya said. "You're still too weak."

"Nya, I'm the only one here that knows how she was killed the first time... or at least I think she died then..." Alex mumbled to herself.

"The First Spinjitzu Master suposively gave her a fatel blow, but she escaped to the Dark Island," Misako said. "I remember reading something about it."

"I heard that too," Dr. Julien. "It was a little altered, but she definately escaped before they could confirmed she died."

Alex froze for a moment. "Yeah," she said, shifting slightly. "I suppose she did escape. Regardless, I'm helping. We need to find a way to get her back to me anyhow. Might as well make things easier by bringing me along."

I felt a sudden jolt up my spine. They were going to Ouruborus, home of the serpentine. Kim had my powers, and Pythor had wanted to use them for his own purposes. The Overlord wanted to rule Ninjago, or at least that's what I firgured when he attacked. The three of them workin together wasn't good. Kim was gonna use my powers to drive the citizens of Ninjago underground, allowing the serpentine to rule. Then he Overlord was going to stab them in the back and take Ninjago for himself. So we needed to be fast and keep Kim from making the storm. The only question was how.

'All powers have a good purpose, and powers cannot be taken or destroyed,' the voice said.

'Who are you?' I asked stubbornly, but in silence.

'A friend...' the voice told me before vanishing again.

I was about to forget it when everything clicked into place. "All right, here's what we have to do," I said. "First..."

"Wait," Vanessa interrupted. "What makes you think you get to be in charge, eh?"

"Because I know exactly what they're going to do," I told her. "And I know how to stop them."

There was a pause before Wu said, "All right Echo. We're listening."

I smiled and began to explain my plan.

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><p>The Bounty landed outside of Ouruborus. Cole did something to make the sand half-bury the ship. We sat outside, ready to attack. Alex was coming, though she agreed not to push herself too much. We sat silently as I heard a voice say, "You realize I could've made a portal to get us here quicker, right?"<p>

"Every since you failed me years ago, I don't exactly trust you to get he portal to the right place," a second voice hissed.

"Okay, now!" Cole ordered.

Everyone but Alex and I ran out from out hiding spot. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Like I predicted, Kim created a storm. I could feel with winds, the sand moving, and I could sense everything within the storm. The voice in my head was right. I still had a part of my powers. Maybe they never even left. Maybe Kim just surpressed them while she copied them. I didn't know, and at the moment I didn't care. I needed to concentrate. I focused on the storm. I pictured it vanishing. My vision blackened for a moment, but when it returned to normal the storm was gone.

"Woah, Echo are you okay?" Alex asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I questioned. "It worked, Alex. I did it." I was kinda surprised it worked. Kim's expression... priceless. She looked so confused for a moment. Then everything went down hill. I could see the black veil around me. I was flung from my hiding spot and tossed onto the ground. There was a crack and my side felt like it was on fire.

"Kim!" Alex shouted as she ran out from the hiding place. "Leave. Her. Alone."

I tried to see straight as my vision went red. Alex stood, ready to face Kim. I could barely see what was going on, but Alex knew to stick to the plan.

"Alex!" Kim smirked. "How nice to see you not dead. It'll only make this battle more fun."

"It's not going to be a battle," Alex told her. "This ends now." She drew a knife and it began to glow. She launched it at Kim, who used the winds to redirect it.

I had to do my part. I put my hand and and consentrated. I made the winds blow strongly at Kim. A small funnel of dust formed at her feet as the knife flew back and hit her. There was a scream, and Kim hit the ground. She looked up to Alex. "It's too late," she growled. "The damage is done." She vanished and I could feel how hot the desert really was. The spirit of the Overlord vanished.

"Told you that would work," Tove said, appearing beside Alex.

"Yep," Alex muttered. "But the damage is done?"

Lloyd knelt beside me. "Echo? Can you hear me?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, and I instantly regretted speaking. I grabbed my side which burned. "Lloyd!" I cried. "It hurts!"

Alex ran over to us, staring at me like déjà vu. She knelt down and gently placed her hand on my side. I screamed in pain. "Her rib is broken," she confirmed. "Jay, help us get her back onto the Bounty. Lillie, to get Sensei and Dr. Julien. Tove, make sure the spirits can't become physical again."

"How do you expect me to do that?" Tove questioned.

"Just do it," Alex mumbled. "Cole, unbury the Bounty, it should be fine now."

"Right," Cole said, seeming to catch on. "Vanessa, Kai, and Zane, head into Ouruborus and find Pythor. We'll catch up in a moment. Don't attack Pythor either, just keep an eye out for him."

Once everyone had their orders, they got to work. Jay and Lloyd picked me up as carefully as they could. "You're going to be fine," Alex promised. "A broken rib's never killed anyone."

As we got onto the Bounty, a giant metal robot came out. Samurai X? How did he...?

"Nya, go with Kai, Vanessa, and Zane. They're looking for Pythor, don't attack though," Alex said.

"Right," Nya said, taking off.

Nya was Samurai X? I only had a moment to take that in before the pain returned. Lloyd and Jay gently laid me down in the infirmary bed.

Alex walked over to me and look up at Lloyd and Jay. "Go help the others. I'm gonna stay back until Sensei and Dr. Julien get here," she told them.

"Right," Jay said, pulling his mask down and taking off.

Lloyd looked down at me. "You'll be all right," he mumbled. "You have to be." He turned and followed Jay.

Alex sat down beside me. "This is my fault," she murmured. "I should've known Kim would figure out who stopped the storm. I should've kept you more hidden."

"It's fine," I managed to say. "Everything went as planned. I stopped the storm, you took care of Kim while the others distracted the Overlord. Tove was right about your powers being able to control Kim's spirit. Now everything is fine."

"Yeah, we just need to find Pythor," Alex said, trying to smile. "Then we'll lock him back in his tomb and..." Her voice faltered.

Wu and Dr. Julien ran into the room. "Lillie told us about her rib," Dr. Julien said. "Let me take a look." He walked over to me. He lightly placed his hand on my rib. Even the slightest touch caused me to wince painfully. "It's definately broken."

"We'll worry about Echo," Wu said, turning to Alex. "You go help the others."

"Right," Alex nodded. "I've got a score to settle with the serpentine and Pythor will have to do." She took off.

Wu brushed a loose hair from my face as my vision went red again. Then blackness started settling in. "You'll be fine," Wu said. "I promise." Everything went black.

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><p>I woke up and everything was spinning. I pushed myself up way to fast and yelped in pain. I looked around as everything lined up. No one was in the room. It was dark outside and I felt unsafe. I don't know why, but I felt like something was watching me. I went to turn on the lamp, but something stopped my hand. A tail covered my mouth and my eyes widened in fear.<p>

"Now, now," Pythor's voice said. "We wouldn't want to wake the others."

I felt myself shake. The ninja were suppose to take care of Pythor. He was suppose to be locked in his tomb by now. I reached my other hand up and moved his tail. "Let me go," I said. "Just let me go."

"Oh, but I'm afraid I can't do that," the snake hissed as he grabbed my other wrist. He pulled both of them in front of me, causing another jolt of pain to shoot through my side. "You see, I have to avenge my fellow serpentine. Imagine you're in my place. You kind was locked away for no reason and once you finally escape to take back your rightful land, you're trapped underground again. What would you do?"

"C-call it destiny and move on," I said nervously, afraid he was implying that we go underground again.

"I don't think you would," Pythor said. "No, I believe you'd want revenge too. So let's go get revenge."

"Well... when you put it like that..." I murmured, pretending it sounded exceptable. After he smirked at my comment, I screamed, "Somebody help!" His tail went to my mouth again. I struggled to free my hands from his grip, but he was way stronger than me. He pulled me off of the bed and lead me out onto the decks. Every step burning in my side.

I looked around for one of the ninja. Through the dark I noticed bright green eyes. I narrowed my eyes and forced myself to see through the dark. It was Alex! She waited until Pythor had me at the edge of the ship before attacking him. He released me and pulled back. I fell to my knees for a moment, but I forced myself up through the pain. I leaned on the railing, waiting for some pain to subside.

"Echo, go get the others!" Alex called to me. She was voiding each attack Pythor gave, only attacking when he pulled back.

I ran as quick as I could down to the lower decks. I busted into the boys' room. Jay fell off his top bunk and onto Lloyd who jumped up like he was being attacked. Zane opened his eyes and looked to me, Kai hit his head on Jay's bunk, and Cole scrambled to a sitting position.

"Echo?" Jay yawned. "What's wrong?"

"P-Pythor," I stuttered, trying to keep my fear hidden and while trying to keep the pain from returning. "Alex is fighting him right now."

Lloyd rushed over to me. "We'll take care of him, but go wake up the girls."

I nodded and made my way to the girls' room. I opened the door, letting it slam on the wall to wake them up. Vanessa jumped up into the sitting position. "I'm awake, eh!" she yelled. "Wait... it's not morning."

Nya pushed herself up, looking sleepily at me. Tove screamed and jumped off the floor, a ghost appearing next to her. Tove stared at it for a moment, snapped her fingers, and it disappeared. "Eek!" Lillie squealed. She was halfway through her bed. "I'm stuck!"

"Lillie. Powers," Nya said.

Lillie giggle. "Oh right." Lillie fell the rest of the way through her bed, and she crawled out from under it. "So why are we awake?"

"Pythor's back," I told them.

They exchanged looks. "I'll watch her," Nya said. Everyone ran out but her. She motioned for me to sit beside her so I did. "How's your side?" she asked.

My hand went to where my rib had broken. "It's fine I guess. It hurts a little to walk." I glanced at the door. The others had closed it and I guess I expected it to open again.

"It'll be fine," Nya assured me.

"I want to help," I said. I didn't know where that came from, but me helping sounded like a good idea... so of course I acted like I meant to say that.

"Echo, I don't think that's the smartest idea," Nya said.

"Why not?" I asked. "I've got my powers and..." I paused. "But my kunai is gone... Well I still have my powers!"

Nya sighed. "I'm sure the ninja can handle it themselves."

I didn't think so, but I didn't argue with Nya. We waited for a moment. Suddenly the door flew open and we both stood up. A blue snake, not Pythor this one was definately blue, slithered in. He held his golden staff with pride as he headed out direction. "Sssso this is the young girl?" Skales questioned. "She'ssss even you get than Lloyd wassss."

I would've found that extremely offensive, but I was a little to frightened to think about what he said. Nya pulled me behind he, holding my hand with her left and while she pulled a knife with the others. "I thought the rest of the serpentine were locked under ground," she said.

"Pythor was able to free ussss, so long as we do what he sayssss," Skales said. "And he said to get the girl." Skales's tail rattled and his eyes started to shift.

Nya grasped my hand tighter and whispered, "Don't look into his eyes."

I closed my eyes tightly, moving closer to Nya. I could here Skales walking towards us. Nya moved a little, I guess trying to hit the snake. If the rest of the serpentine were loose... I didn't like it at all. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and instantly the entire Bounty tilted, Nya and I almost stumbling backwards. Nya pulled me forward and I risked opening my eyes. We were so far in the clear. We ran out to the upper decks which was infested with serpentine.

I felt a rush of fear and I couldn't control it. Lightning flashed in the sky, thunder boom, and the winds picked up. Rain began pouring down on the decks, and everyone turned to me. I took a step back and a hand grabbed me. Skales pulled me away from Nya and signaled for her to back away. He forced me out onto the deck, his arm around my neck.

"Well, well," he said. "Lookssss like we've got the girl. So surrender now, or she getssss it."

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><p><strong>I think I went overboard with the whole "longer" chapter... I just couldn't stop writing! Is it that long? Eh, who cares. I left at a cliff hanger! Will the ninja back down? Is Skales bluffing? Why am I asking you all these questions? We may never know! So review... Do I even need to put don't flame?<strong>


	17. Chapter 16

**I hope I'm keeping all of you on the edge of your seat... or bed if you read on mobile devices. **

**Guest: She dropped her kunai and it's gone forever! It was in the Dark Forest. **

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><p>The ninja and Nya gathered and dropped their weapons. "Alex needs searched," Pythor hissed.<p>

"Yeah, yeah," Alex muttered, pulling out daggers from hidden pockets I've never noticed. She dropped her last dagger and crossed her arms. "That's all ten."

Misako, Wu, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien were lead down from the bridge. After everyone was gathered, Skales let me go and pushed me over to Pythor. The storm had stopped after I calmed down a little, but the second I was pushed to Pythor I could feel it starting up again. Pythor was scarier than Skales, and for some reason I couldn't look Skales in the eyes!

"If we let them keep the ship, they'll jusssst find us again," the black snake with a staff said.

"Then we'll take the ship!" the green snake hissed.

"But we cannot let them go," one of the heads on the red snake said, then the other one added, "Sssso, how about we keep them here."

Skales slithered over to them. "You three idiots might have actually had good idea," he mumbled.

"You four will that care of that," Pythor said. "I have to take care of something." Pythor pulled me towards the bridge.

"Let me go!" I yelled. The winds started picking up again. "I'm not helping you so just back off!" I was surprised I was doing this. Ever since I used my powers on purpose, I felt different.

Pythor pushed me into the bridge and shut the door. I ran to the window and watched as the others were taken below decks. "We won't hurt them if you cooperate," Pythor told me.

"You're bluffing," I accused.

"Would you really risk that?" Pythor questioned. "They've already risked so much for you and yet you're still willing to risk their lives?"

"No," I said. "No! You won't hurt them! I know you won't hurt them!"

"Are you seriously going to take that chance?" Pythor asked.

I looked back out to the empty decks. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't put them in danger. They were weaponless and guarded by serpentine. I guess if Pythor wanted to kill them he could. I looked back to the purple snake. "I'm not letting you hurt them," I said with more confidence than I've had all night.

"Why do you even want to protect them anyway?" Pythor asked. I didn't like the way he said it, nor could I figure out why.

"They're... They're my friends," I stammered.

"Are they?" Pythor questioned. "How do you know they won't just send you back to the orphanage after the serpentine are defeated?"

"They won't do that," I said, a little less confident. "Alex swore..."

"Alex's word means nothing!" Pythor snapped. "There are lots of things she's promised or swore to do but she's never done them. You shouldn't trust her."

I felt a twist in my gut. "I... You're lying," I mumbled.

"Am I?" Pythor questioned with a smirk. "How well do you know the ninja? I've been fighting them for a while and you have to know your enemy."

I shifted nervously. Pythor couldn't be right, he was probably just saying that to make me want to help him. Though he made a point. I didn't know the ninja very well, but they were the good guys. They've saved the city a million times! I crossed my arms and said, "I don't believe you."

"Of course, why should you," Pythor mumbled. "Oh, and in case you don't cooperate and by some miracle defeat us, don't say I didn't warn you."

Pythor was making me doubt myself, Alex, Lloyd, everything! I stared at the ground. "So even if I do help you, and you somehow manage to succeed, how do I know you won't trick me?" I asked.

"Well by then you'll have complete control over your powers," Pythor pointed out. "Why would we double cross you?"

I slumped against the wall. I needed to think. "Go away. Give me five minutes," I said.

Pythor slithered out the door. "Five minutes starting now," he hissed before slamming the door.

I winced, the noise making my head thump. I closed my eyes. What to do? I couldn't betray the ninja, but what if Pythor was right? What if they left me? I was thinking, and then I got tired and fell asleep.

•\•

I woke up and looked around. Pythor hadn't come to wake me. It was day now. I got up and slowly walked to the door, slightly opening it, and peeking out. There weren't any snakes out. I couldn't have imagined it though. I ran down the steps and to the door to the lower decks. Yep! Definately snakes guarding inside.

I backed up a step, and darted for the stairs. I hid under them and tried thinking of a plan. Maybe if there was a disturbance they'd all rush out to the upper decks. I would need a storm, not big enough to wreck anything, but big enough so they'll all come out. I heard the door open and moved closer to the stairs.

"Go get the girl from the bridge," Skales's voice hissed.

I heard movement on the steps. There was silence for a moment, and a snake hissed, "She'ssss gone!"

I held my breath as the snake ran down the steps. "What?" Skales demanded. "Find her!"

I suppressed a yelp. I covered my mouth and waited for the snakes to go away. Instead I heard the door open and more snakes ran out onto the decks. Could this get any worse? I peeked out and saw the snakes looking around, but the door to the lower decks was open. I made sure none of the snakes were looking and darted for the door. I slowly shut it behind me and looked around. Well I guess technically I cause a distraction. None of the snakes were guarding.

I ran over to the girls' room and lightly knocked. "Hello?" I asked in a practic whisper. I was so afraid the snakes would hear me.

The door didn't open, but a hand pulled me through it. "Took you long enough," Tove said.

I shivered. "Your powers really are creepy," I mumbled. "What do you mean anyway? Pythor was trying to mess with my head and I needed time to think and I guess I fell asleep."

"It doesn't matter. Are the snakes gone?" Alex asked. "Do you know where my weapons are?"

"Alex is suffering from weapons withdraw," Lillie whispered to me.

"Uh, yeah the snakes are gone," I replied to Alex. "But I'm not sure where your weapons are."

There was a knock at the girls' door. "Open up or we'll knock the door down!" a voice snapped.

"Echo," Vanessa said quietly. "Hide under Alex's bed, eh. No one would ever go under there. Too messy, eh!"

"I happen to keep my bed area very clean," Alex retorted. "If anyone's bed is a mess it's Tove's bed!"

"Guys, we don't have time for this," Nya reminded them. "Echo, go."

I nodded and dashed for Alex's bed. I got down and slid under it. There wasn't actually under it except a few blankets, I guess for winter. I pulled one up between me and the opening, just enough so I could see into the room. The door swung open.

"Where'ssss the girl?" the snake hissed. It was the black one with the golden staff.

"Not here," Tove said.

"Go eat dirt, Skalidor," Alex muttered.

"What?" the snake, apparently Skalidor, questioned.

"Oh, nothing," Alex said. "You know, I'd be a lot less rude if you gave me back my weapons."

"We aren't idiotssss," Skalidor hissed.

Alex sighed. "Worth a shot."

"Wait what was the conversation about?" Lillie questioned.

"The girl," Skalidor said.

"Oh, Echo's not in here. Did you lose her already?" Nya asked.

"Never mind," Skalidor said, started to rummage through things. He checked the closet, pulled off all the bed sheets—which Lillie complained took hours to make—and finally he left.

Vanessa shut the door and locked it. "All right, eh. He's gone," she said softly.

I crawled out from under Alex's bed. "So now what?" I asked.

"We have to find a way to find our weapons, then we can take on these snakes," Alex said.

"Can't Tove just use her powers?" I asked.

"You think we didn't try that?" Tove questioned. "All the rooms are heavily guarded. My best guess is even if I find the weapons, I can't get them out without a snake finding out."

I looked to the door. "What if Tove looked for the weapons, report back here, and then take Alex to where ever the weapons are?" I turned back to the others. "Then Lillie, Vanessa, and Nya can cause a distraction."

"That's... Actually a great idea," Nya said. "I don't see why we can't."

"I do," Alex said. "Pythor. He couldn't have just prepared for my powers. Like underground, he made sure it was made from venge stone and made sure he had a hostage. This time he made sure all of us were as seperated as possible. That means he'll have another trick up his sleeve..."

I thought for a moment. She was right. Last time he made sure everyone did or didn't do exactly what he wanted. It almost went his way if he hadn't become so cocky. He thought he had me by messing with my head. In fact I still didn't know who to trust. For the ninja he seperated them in two groups, the guys in their room and girls in their room. I didn't even know where Misako, Wu, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien were! I just needed to concentrate. Problem solving was my specialty.

There was a small knock on the door. "Busy!" Tove yelled. "Some people."

"It's me," Kai's voice growled.

"Oh! In that case, go away!" Alex snapped.

Vanessa nudged Alex and opened the door, pulling Kai in and shutting the door. "Talk quick, eh. The serpentine might be back any moment," she said.

Kai glanced at me for a moment. "Cole came up with a plan," he started. "We need all of you ready."

"Okay, what's the plan?" I asked. Everyone turned to me. "What?"

"I'm pretty sure you need to take more time before going on another mission," Alex chided. "How's your rib?"

My hand went to my side. Even lightly touching it made a small jolt of pain go down my spine. "Uh, fine," I lied.

"Uh, you're not fooling anyone," Alex said.

"Yeah," Lillie agreed, crossing her arms. "Wait, what are we talking about?"

"Echo's not going," Nya said. "That's final."

I crossed my arms and plopped onto Alex's bed. "Fine," I muttered. Kai pulled the other girls aside and explained the plan. So I thought, 'Fine! I'll come up with my own plan!'

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><p><strong>Well! What did you think? Review about it but don't flame me. In case you can't see me I'm smiling. Obviously I'm very please with what I've written so far! Seventeen chapters too. That's almost how many The Pink Ninja had. Well we aren't close to being done so this will definately be longer!<strong>


	18. Chapter 17

**mlplover333: Aw! I'm glad you like it!**

**Guest: I'll update it soon I've been having writer's block. Oh, and uh... good things, not saying, and not in this story, but they might make an appearance in the next one...**

**Oh, and I lied. Nearing the end, we actually are. Forget YOLO, I YODA!**

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><p>"Echo, what were you thinking?" Alex yelled. "We said you needed to stay put!"<p>

"I'm sorry!" I cried out. "I didn't mean to!"

So maybe my plan backfired and ruined Cole's plan. So maybe Alex and I ended up trapped in the engine room. So maybe the rest of the ninja are having to fight for their lives because of me... What? I said maybe!

"I can't believe this," Alex mumbled as she paced the engine room. She glared at me for a moment and shook her head. "There's no way. Nope! I'm going with Mom is a liar."

"What?" I questioned, tears still rolling down my cheeks from Alex yelling at me.

"Nothing!" Alex snapped. "It doesn't matter. Just help me find a way out."

I slowly walked around looking for something Alex could use as a weapon. There was nothing around. I felt like crawling up in a ball and crying. I messed up big time. There was no way they'd forgive me after this. I just knew it.

"Echo I'm sorry," Alex muttered, surprising me a bit.

"Don't be," I told her. "I deserved to be yelled at."

"No, you didn't. You did what you thought was right," Alex said. "I would've done the same. Ask anyone."

I paused for a moment. "That's not why you're apologizing, is it?" I asked. I could tell by the way she said it. It just seemed like... Like she was hiding something.

"Echo this isn't the time or place," Alex replied, walking over to the door and jamming something into the lock.

"Please tell me!" I pleaded. I walked over to her as she twisted the small object. "What is so imporant yet unimportant that you won't tell me?"

Alex pulled the object out, I identified it as a bobby pin. It was bent out of shape and Alex threw it on the ground. "Echo, not now!" she snapped. "Help find a way out, and then we'll talk."

The next thing I said... I regretted it in someways but not in others. "Pythor was right. You don't trust me at all! In fact I bet he was also right about you not caring for me!" I half-yelled. I stormed over to a couple boxes and angrily tried prying one open.

Alex was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed. "Echo... I trust you with my life. I truly care about you. Pythor is just messing with you so no matter how this turns out... He'd get the chance to kill us," Alex said softly. "I'm sorry I've mislead you to believe what he said was true."

I turned to Alex. "So what's the secret?"

Alex hesitated. "Echo, the secret is almost as big as everything that's going on. Certain people can never know. For instance, Kai, Jay, my dad, and most likely Lillie. I'm not even sure if Lloyd should know."

"I'm really good at keeping secrets," I said. "Please trust me."

Alex gave a weak smile and walked over to the boxes. She moved her hand along the top and eventually tugged, pulling it open. There was nothing inside and she sighed. "Okay, but you can't tell anyone. Swear you won't tell anyone."

"I promise."

"Echo... I know who your parents are. If Lloyd thought hard enough, he'd figure it out too. My mom, well, she's your mom," Alex started. I was about to say something but she continued. "Though we don't have the same dad. Your father is my uncle... Sensei Wu. Don't think too hard on that okay? It's harder to except the more you think about it."

I stood, speechless. I didn't know what to think. Misako and Wu... They seemed so nice and caring towards me. It was because I was their daughter. I looked to Alex. "So... I guess that makes us sisters. And Lloyd's my brother?"

Alex nodded. "Yep..."

She seemed kinda out of it, staring into the empty box. I wondered if this whole thing was still shocking to her. I know I was pretty shocked. I then asked, "Why'd they give me away?" It came out more like a whimper.

Alex only shrugged. "I know when you were born, my uncle was too busy to care for a child. I know Mom was looking for a way to prevent the final battle. She was trying to save Lloyd and my dad."

I sat down on the floor. I stared at the wood patterns which suddenly became my new interest, at least that's what I hoped Alex thought. This was... Wrong. Misako and Wu, they couldn't be my parents. I don't know why but they couldn't. Maybe it was because I wanted to be angry with my parents. I wanted to hate them for giving me away. I just couldn't mad anymore. I wanted to but couldn't.

"Echo..." Alex said calmly after a moment of silence. "Like I said, it's something we can discuss later. For now let's find a way to open the door."

I looked up at her for a moment. My brain was still processing what was going on. "Right," I said, pushing myself up, half in a daze. "We need to open the door..." I looked around the room. "We need a weapon..." I checked my pockets. Nothing.

There was a sudden bang by the door. Alex ran over to it and roughly tug on it. "Who's there? Let us out!" she yelled. There was a pause. "Kai, if you don't open this door right now..."

I ran over to the door, waiting for Kai to respond. Even with the door closed i could feel the heat. Suddenly the door swung open, letting hot air. "Come on," Kai said, tossing Alex her swords. She caught them with ease and smile.

"Kai, you're so sweet," Alex smirked.

"No time for one of your jokes," Kai muttered.

"Right," Alex said, her expression turning serious again. "Echo, stay put. This time I mean it." They took off down the hall.

I shut the door and leaned against it, keeping an eye out for snakes as I made my way to Wu's—apparently my dad's—room. I slipped inside and went to the bag of kunai. I pulled one out and studied it. This one didn't feel right, not like the other had. _Just get over it,_ I told myself. _You need a weapon._ I stood up and slowly made my way to the door. If one of the snakes slipped by, I was ready to defend myself.

I opened the door and walked out. It was quiet. Why was it so quiet? I should've been able to hear the battle or a side cheering in victory. I started towards the upper deck, but I remembered what Alex said. I was to stay put... but if the ninja were in trouble I had to save them. They'd saved me a few times already. I owed them big time.

As I moved towards the door, I concentrating on making a storm outside. I made it small, nothing too big. I was afraid I'd let it get out of control. It was deadly quiet, which worried me. What if the ninja were pulling a prank on me? I would lash out at them and maybe hurt someone. Then, what if it was the serpentine trying to get me and I wasn't quick enough? I shuttered. I wasn't ready for this! I couldn't help...

But then I realized I wasn't fighting for my friends. I was fighting for my family. Misako and Wu were my parents, and the ninja were one big family. They were my new family. Even if I didn't get adopted by them, I knew I had to protect them, because that's what family does. With that set on my mind, I ran out to the decks.

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><p><strong>It took forever to put this online... Error so... Oh! Review! Don't flame me though. <strong>


	19. Chapter 18

**Zane the Nindroid: What part is confusing? PM me and we'll talk. **

**Guest: Where was Alex? That's a good question. I'm not sure how many months Misako was pregnant with Echo before she dropped her off at the dojo (about the same time Lloyd was sent to Darkly's) so she was either still in Ninjago City or in Cole's hometown... maybe out in the woods. **

**As for Echo being mad at her parents or not and what's happening in the sequel... my only advice is to "Keep Calm and READ ON!"**

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><p>As I ran out, the door shut behind me. I turned and saw two snakes. I closed my eyes for a moment to concentrate. The wind picked up really quick and pushed them off the Bounty. I turned back around. Most of the deck was empty, but I could take a guess where a few snakes were hiding. The only problem: Pythor and his ability to disappear. That and there was no way all the snakes were on the upper deck, but Pythor really worried me more.<p>

I looked up at the black clouds I'd made. I focused on the storm and forced it to rain. I didn't know how well it would help, but the tempature dropped a little and fog started to form. A plan came to me. I made it rain softer and the fog grow. Soon I couldn't see five inches in front of me! Which was good. If I couldn't see, than neither could my enemy.

I stayed absolutely still so they couldn't track me by movement and sound. I kept my ears open and tried listening for the sound of snakes. I held my breath for a moment, my breath was shaky and clearly audible. There was no sign of movement. Then I heard something. It was quiet, but I know what I heard. The sound came closer until it was within what I could see. It was the black general, Skalidor.

The wind picked up again and pushed against him. Being stronger than the smaller snakes, it didn't push him off. I reached towards the sky with one hand and pulled down. Hail fell and repeatively hit the snake. He stumbled back and while we was the wind pushed him off. I smiled a little. I was getting the hang of this powers thing.

More snakes came out from their hiding spots after hearing the hail. I prepared myself as a small gust of wind swirled around me. It got stronger, but I couldn't feel most of the wind. When they got close enough, either they were pelted with hail or knocked off by the wind... some got both. It wasn't much of a battle. My powers sort of acted on their own, even though I did have control over them. It all went on instinct for the most part.

I collapsed at one point, feeling exhausted. There were so many snakes. I'd forgotten that every power has a limit, and I'd reached mine. There were a few snakes left and they surrounded me. "Where are... the ninja?" I asked, breathing deeply and trying to catch my breath.

"They're... around," the blue snake said, the general Skales.

I forced myself to my feet. I got in a fighting stance. My powers were useless now, I didn't have the strength to use them, but that's why I'd grabbed a kunai. I pulled out the black knife and put it up in defense. "Where are the ninja?" I asked again, keeping my voice steadier this time.

Skales glanced up to the bridge. "It doesn't matter," he told me, his red eyes looking back at me. "Ssssoon you won't care for them." His tail began to shake and I tore away from his gaze, closing my eyes tightly.

I felt a snake come up behind me and grab my shoulders. Another snatched the kunai from my hand... or maybe it was the same one, I couldn't tell. "Look into my eyessss," Skales's voice rung in my ears. "I control you."

I found myself started to open my eyes a little, but I closed them tightly again. "Leave me alone!" I cried out.

"Give up your will!" Skales hissed.

I looked up, not willingly. Mine connected with his for a split second, and I blacked out.

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><p>I came to, staring up at the blue sky. I pushed myself up and moaned slightly. The snakes were gone. I was confused for a moment. It was quiet again. I didn't remember anything after looking into Skales's eyes. I was worried I did something...<p>

"Echo, that was amazing!" Nya exclaimed, running over to me. "We saw the storm, and it was a pretty good fight for someone who's never fought before... Well from what we could see."

The other ninja ran over to me as well. "The snakes are gone, Echo," Lloyd told me. "You did it."

"But what happened? I looked into Skales's eyes on accident," I said. "Did I..."

"You what?" Kai asked. "You looked in his eyes? Weird... Nothing happened."

"Lucky you," Cole added. "Unless he decided not to use you yet."

"Why wouldn't he? He could've gotten her off and kept us from following," Tove pointed out. "It wouldn't be like him to miss a chance."

"It's not even like Pythor, eh," Vanessa agreed.

"Wait! Where's Pythor?" I asked.

"Took off with the rest of the snakes," Jay said. "Or at least we assume..."

"Oh, he's gone," Alex assured them. "I'm pretty sure the snakes have learned their lesson. Echo isn't some kid they can just come and take."

"She took out, like, all of the snakes!" Lillie exclaimed. "All except the few we took down."

"The snakes had gotten tougher though," Zane noted. "If they come back... We should be ready."

"Which brings us to our next topic," Wu said as he, Misako, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien came out from the lower decks. "The snakes won't let something like this keep them down. They most likely will not attack soon, but they will return for Echo."

I looked down. "So... At some point, no matter where I am, he people around me will be in danger."

"Not true," Misako said. "The ninja can take care of themselves."

I was confused for a moment. Then I connected the dots. "Wait... You mean..."

"Yep," Garmadon said. "We've decided to adopt you."

"We've already called the orphanage and everything checks out," Dr. Julien added.

"It was all my idea," Alex boasted.

I ran over and hugged her. "Thank you," I whispered. "For everything."

"It's the least I could do to keep my promise," Alex told me.

I turned back to the others. "So... I'm gonna learn that spinny thing right?" I asked.

"What? Spinjitzu?" Kai asked. "Well... Eventually yes but..."

"You have to be eight to run the training course," Misako said. "That's been a rule since... Alex was born." I noted the hesitation she had in her voice. I shook it off though. It wasn't any of my business... Yet.

"Until then," Cole said, handing me the kunai. "You might as well learn to use that properly."

I took the black knife and studied it for a moment. "Okay, yeah," I said, liking the idea of how to actually use it. "Anything else we should go over?" I turned to Alex.

Alex glanced at Misako for a moment. "Uh, I think that's all the excitement we can handle for one day," she said. "Maybe we'll go over anything else later."

"Great!" I exclaimed. We called it a day and headed to the lower decks.

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><p><strong>OMGOSH! Echo is so awesome! Review but don't flame!<strong>


	20. Epilogue

**Guest: I always enjoy reading your endless questions. I hope this chapter answers your question about Echo and Wu and Misako and Garmadon and yeah... As for where else she's appearing: she will be in A Kingdom to Fall. I'm not spoiling it though... :)**

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><p>Within a week's past I mastered how to use a kunai... almost. I was still working on close combat and throwing them. So I actually mastered none of it. I've gotten a lot better though. Alex was teaching me, but since she couldn't use a kunai she used daggers as an example for close combat and throwing knifes—which look a lot more like kunai and a dagger combind—for long distance combat. The ninja have been working with other things in case I have no weapon or practicing for when I'm ready for the training course.<p>

Everday since the serpentine left, I've been asking Alex when we're telling the ninja about Misako and Wu being my parents. Her answer never changes. "When the time is ready," she says. When was it time? I hated not being able to openly call Misako Mom or Wu Dad. They also didn't know I knew yet, so that meant I couldn't ask the questions swarming me.

I walked over to Alex after our training session. "So," I said, spinning the kunai in my hand—something Alex taught me. "When are we telling?"

Alex smiled. "Right now."

Suddenly the inercom said, "Everyone report to the bridge immediately."

Alex grabbed my free hand. "Let's go, Sis," she said softly. I smiled and we walked up into the bridge. It wasn't long before everyone else filed in and sat down. I sat down between Lloyd and Alex. Even though Lloyd didn't know yet, he still treated me as if he knew.

"Wu and I have agreed it was time to let you in on the secret," Misako said. The ninja started to murmur but Misako continued. "Echo is my daughter." That sure stopped all the talking. "But Garmadon isn't her dad. Wu is."

Garmadon opened his mouth to speak but Wu quickly said, "We'll explain that to you in private."

Garmadon lowered his head with a nod, glaring down at the floor. "Wait, so Echo's my sister?" Lloyd asked.

I rested my head on his arm and smiled. "I guess so," I said.

"Well technically Echo is your half sister and your half cousin," Zane said.

Alex nudged him. "Don't try and make sense out of it. Nothing in the Garmadon family makes sense and it never will."

"Ain't that the truth," Tove muttered.

"So that's why Alex had the idea to adopt Echo," Kai mumbled, thinking aloud. "Because she knew all along."

"I had the idea when Molly made me swear to protect Echo with my life," Alex snapped. "Her being my sister had nothing to do with it."

It was quiet for a moment. Wu, Misako, and Garmadon all walked out of the bridge. "Uh... This doesn't change anything right?" I asked.

"Of course not," Cole assured me. "You're still one of us and we will still train you."

"Great," I said, standing up. "So let's go." We all left the bridge, except Dr. Julien who was working on something. We went back to the upper deck and continued my training.

"So Echo," Zane said as we walked out onto the deck. A cold chill washed over me, but I had gotten use to the small tempature changes when Zane or Kai was near me. "How long have you known who your parents were? You didn't seem surprised when Misako told us."

I wrapped my arms around myself. "Not long," I murmured.

"I really did know," Alex piped up. "Her stobborness and blue eyes gave it away. Then my mom confirmed it to me in private."

"Her stobborness?" Lillie questioned. "So how did that give you the idea she was your sister? Cousin? What ever!"

"Sister," Alex mumbled. "And all Garmadons are stubborn. It's like genetic or something. Once a Garmadon sets their mind to something, you probably won't change it... at all."

"I've noticed," Kai said. "Why didn't you tell us? Why was it such a big secret?"

"My dad," Alex said. "How would you feel if your wife had a kid with your brother?"

Kai thought for a moment. "I see your point. I'd end up killing my brother... or maybe my wife... It all depends on why."

"Kai, too much information," Jay retorted.

"Yeah, really," I muttered. I didn't want to think about how Garmadon would react to this. He's seemed so cool since I got here, it would be out of character for him to kill Wu... right? I nervously looked to the lower decks.

"Don't worry about it," Lloyd said. "I doubt my dad and uncle will get in an arguement... at least not a big one."

Jay shrugged. "You never know."

I started towards the lower decks. "Where're you going?" Tove asked.

"Bathroom," I said simply, and slipped to the lower decks.

I snuck over to Misako and Garmadon's room. I lightly put my ear on the door. "I have nothing else to say," Wu said. "It was an accident, but think about how different things would be if Echo wasn't..."

"Wu, this isn't about Echo anymore!" Garmadon interrupted, trying to keep his yelling quiet. "It's about you and Misako..."

"It's in the past," Misako said. "We've explained ourselves and there's nothing else that can be done."

Garmadon mumbled something I couldn't hear and then said, "I don't think I agree with letting Echo stay anymore..."

"She idolizes you, Montey!" Wu exclaimed. "Who cares if she isn't... what?"

"You haven't call me Montey in years," Garmadon said, I almost didn't hear him. "What made that slip out?"

Wu looked down. "Misako was the same, remember? I had forgetten about it and the words slipped. I said pretty much the same thing to you about her. Now I'm telling you this: Echo loves you. It doesn't matter whose daughter she is, she's here with us now."

It was quiet for a moment. "All right little spy," Garmadon muttered. "Get your butt in here."

I froze and a part of me wanted to run off, but that was the old me. This was a new beginning. A new life. A fresh start. I opened the door and walked inside, quickly shutting the door behind me and standing in front of it. "Hi," I smiled awkwardly.

"Echo, it isn't polite to spy," Misako chided.

I looked down and twirled some of my pigtail. "I know," I mumbled. "But I thought... I thought you guys were going to fight. I got worried." I moved my gaze to meet Garmadon's. "Do you really not want me to stay?"

Wu and Misako both looked to Garmadon. All three of us waited silently for his reply. Garmadon finally sighed and said, "Echo, come here."

I walked over and sat on his lap.

"This is going to take some time for me to get use to," he said. "I never imagined my brother having kids"—Wu shot a small glare at Garmadon—"but if I've learned anything, it's you can't change the past and everything happens for a reason." He smiled. "There's always the future, and I want my niece to be in it."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you, Uncle Garmadon!" I squealed. "Thank you..."

My life forever changed that day. I was staying with the ninja for a long time. I was training to be a ninja. Most importantly, I was going to be with my family. It was a new life for me, and I couldn't wait to see what lied ahead.

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><p><strong>Endings are always hard for me. For the worse part I'm listening to a really sad song. This isn't healthy. So do your last review and please don't flame. Let's leave on a good note... I think I'm gonna go cry now. <strong>


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